This One's Mine
by iColor With Crayons
Summary: Angelica and Alexander meet in high school when they are assigned as partners for a project. Angelica immediately falls for Alexander. Unfortunately for her, so does Eliza. WARNING: this story gets real dark, real quick and involves controversial subjects. Read at your own risk and please don't send me political/religious tirades. I'm just an honest egg.
1. Chapter 1

Angelica Schuyler smiled as she walked home from school one particular Friday afternoon. She grinned from ear to ear despite the brisk October wind and the gum stuck to the bottom of her very new, very expensive boots. She couldn't help but beam all the way home.

Why was she smiling, you ask? She was smiling because she was being accompanied home by Alexander Hamilton.

They had never really talked one-on-one before. They had mutual friends, sure, and they took all the same advanced classes, but Alexander was always surrounded by Hercules Mulligan, John Laurens, the foreign exchange student, Lafayette, and a flock of freshmen girls. Angelica, meanwhile, was constantly hounded by her security blanket boyfriend, John Church, as well as the crew of ardent admirers that she always maintained.

But now, they had been assigned as partners for their AP Government project and Angelica could not have been more tickled about it.

"You live here?" Alexander asked as they entered the Schuyler mansion. It was clear that he was impressed by the lavish foyer alone.

Pride bloomed in Angelica's chest, but she did her best not to show it. Her father had always warned her not to equate wealth with pride. Their family had inherited money; inheriting, she had been told, was easy. It was nothing to be proud of. Earning a living, on the other hand, was the only thing to be proud of.

"Sure." She tried to seem nonchalant. "Would you like a tour before we start our project?"

"Won't your boyfriend mind?" Alexander asked with a knowing smile.

Angelica rolled her eyes. Church was her security blanket; the ideal boyfriend. He wasn't as devastatingly handsome as Alexander was, but he was pleasant-looking. He didn't have Alexander's fierce intelligence, but he was smart enough. He didn't have a lot of ambition, but his family had also inherited enough money that ambition really didn't matter. She stayed with him because it was simple. She did not fight with Church. He didn't mind her staying at school late with her extracurriculars, nor did he mind her swarm of male friends. He went to dinner parties with her. Most importantly, he always bought her fantastic birthday presents. For those reasons alone, they had been dating ever since the summer between freshman and sophomore year. The following summer would be their four year anniversary.

"I think he'll be fine." She answered, grabbing Alexander's arm.

"Then by all means, lead the way." Alexander said, his voice just as smooth as his demeanor.

Angelica led him out of the foyer and into the kitchen. Unbeknownst to her, her mother was sitting at the counter, typing up something important on a laptop.

"Who is this?" She demanded, looking Alexander over critically. Angelica frowned. She had been hoping to avoid her mother during Alexander's visit. She wasn't great at pleasantries such as introductions or small talk.

"Mama, this is my friend, Alexander Hamilton." Angelica said reluctantly.

"Alexander." Mrs. Schuyler didn't take her eyes off of Alexander as she trailed off thoughtfully.

Alexander didn't seem bothered by her aloof demeanor. He smiled like she had just offered him a million dollars. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Schuyler. Your home is…it's gorgeous, ma'am. Really. I've never seen anything like it."

"Well, thank you, Alexander." Angelica had never seen her mother blush before. "Here." In her embarrassment, she snatched an apple out of the centerpiece one of the maids had created a few hours before. "Have an apple. I'm sure you're famished after a day of school."

"Yes, ma'am." Alexander accepted the apple as though it were the most normal offering in the world.

"Come on, Alexander." Angelica grabbed at his arm again, desperate to get him away from her mother before she did anything else embarrassing. "We only have a few hours before you have to get home, and the project is going to take at least two or three hours."

Alexander took a hearty bite of the apple and waved to Mrs. Schuyler, smiling as he chewed. "It was nice meeting you."

Next Angelica tried the family room. She didn't have much luck there, either. Her older brother Philip, home from college for the weekend, was playing some warfare video game or another. Hearing the sound of footsteps behind him, he paused the game and turned to look at them.

"Angelica." He seemed surprised to see her. His eyes rested on Alexander. The corner of his mouth twitched into a smirk. "Finally quit Church?"

He'd never liked John Church very much.

"No, Philip." Angelica scowled. "This is my friend, Alexander. We're working on a project together. Can't you play this somewhere else? We need a place to work."

"No can do, sis." Philip shook his head, taking a long sip of Mountain Dew. "Mama moved my TV to Peggy's room while I was at school. I can't play this anywhere else."

"And you have to play it right now?" Angelica asked impatiently.

"Sure he does," Alexander interjected. "He's on level twenty-seven. If he doesn't play all the way through it in one sitting, he'll forget the rhythm of the actions and it'll take him twice as long to get through."

Philip's attention immediately shifted from Angelica to Alexander. "You play?"

"When I have time," Alexander shrugged with a small smile. "Which isn't often."

"Do you have time right now? Maybe you could help me through the cave part. I keep getting sniped the moment I step into that damn cave." Philip gestured towards the screen angrily.

"Philip!" Angelica admonished. It came out sounding more like a whine than a complaint.

Alexander laughed and shook his head. "That's a tempting offer, man, but we've got homework to do. Maybe some other time."

"I'll hold you to that." Philip pointed at Alexander, the ghost of a smile on his face.

Angelica rolled her eyes and dragged Alexander off in the direction of the terrace. Surely no one would be out on the terrace in mid-October. It was freezing on the terrace.

Unfortunately, Angelica proved to be wrong on that front, too. Her eight year-old sister, Peggy, was sitting on the terrace, frowning down at her notebook.

Hearing the terrace door open, she whipped around to look at Angelica. Confusion was written plain across her face. Her mouth hung open, showing the patch of gum where her two front teeth were missing. "Gelica?"

"Yes, Peggy?" Angelica couldn't ignore her.

"How do you do long division?"

Angelica looked down at the worksheet that Peggy had been assigned. It would take a while for her to help Peggy through the whole thing and Alexander's curfew was at eight.

"Honey, I'll help you with that after dinner."

"But Mama makes me go to bed after dinner!"

"So ask her to let you stay up a little longer. I have to do my own homework right now."

"I think we can spare a few minutes." Alexander said. He aimed an irresistibly charming smile at poor eight year-old Peggy. She smiled back despite her missing teeth. She had never been shy, she wasn't about to start now.

"Do you know about long division?" She demanded. "I don't want your help if you don't know about long division."

Alexander laughed. "I know enough about it."

He turned back to look at Angelica, silently asking for her approval. She smiled and shook her head. She could hardly believe that Alexander Hamilton was spending his limited time at her house helping an eight year-old with her homework, but she liked it. She liked it a lot.

"Who are you, anyway?" Peggy asked as Alexander took a seat next to her.

"I'm Alexander Hamilton." Alexander held out his hand. Peggy shook it with her own tiny hand.

"I'm Peggy Schuyler. How old are you?"

"Seventeen. How old are you, Peggy?"

"You're not supposed to ask a lady her age."

Alexander laughed. "You're right. Of course you're right. You'll have to forgive me for my poor manners." He played along with Peggy's act. "Now, how about this homework?"

Angelica couldn't help but watch as Alexander explained long division to her little sister. As he helped Peggy draw out the steps, he spoke in the gentle tone he seemed to reserve for strangers. John Church be damned; there was no need for him. Alexander Hamilton was exactly who Angelica had been holding out for. The more time she spent watching him in action, the more convinced she became.

"Angelica?" Alexander looked at her expectantly. It was then Angelica realized that her daydream had lasted much longer than the five seconds it was meant to take. It had lasted closer to five or ten minutes. Alexander had been trying to get her attention for the last minute or so.

"I'm sorry?" Angelica blinked, trying to refocus.

"Our homework. Now that Peggy is all settled, we should probably get started." Alexander reminded her. "That's why I'm here, isn't it? Or has this all been a ploy for you to get me to meet the family?"

His tone was so flirtatious that Angelica nearly lost her focus all over again.

"Right, right. You know what? We can work on it in my room." Angelica said, leaping out of her chair and gesturing back into the house.

"Papa said no boys in your room!" Peggy protested.

"Then we don't have to tell Papa, do we?" Angelica tousled Peggy's plaited hair. Peggy wouldn't tell. She was a hellion in her own right. She tested Mr. Schuyler's boundaries just as much as Angelica did.

"Shouldn't I be getting on your father's good side?" Alexander teased as they walked up the stairs in the direction of Angelica's bedroom.

"Why would you do that?" Angelica teased right back.

"So he'll give us his blessing when we get married, of course."

"Is that a proposal?" Angelica smirked at Alexander as they reached the third floor of the house.

"Only if you'll accept." Alexander shot back.

"Give me a reason to accept."

"I'll get you an A on this project."

"You weren't going to do that anyway?" Angelica cocked her head to the side with a smile.

"Well," Alexander shrugged with a sheepish smile. "You can reward me by marrying me."

"I think this is the longest conversation we've ever had." Angelica reminded him.

"What does that matter? I've heard you talk in class, so I know you're smart. I have eyes, so I know you're gorgeous -"

"You've seen my house, so you think I have money." Angelica interrupted.

Alexander pressed his hand to his chest, pretending to be scandalized. "Do you really think I'm that superficial?"

"How many proms are you going to this year?" Angelica challenged.

Alexander Hamilton was notorious for having a different date every night.

"So I like a lot of people." He didn't try to deny it. "That doesn't mean I want to marry you for your money. I have dignity. I want to marry you for your looks."

Angelica rolled her eyes despite the fact that her heart was hammering so hard against her chest that it felt like her ribs would break. "You're a saint."

"I'll make you like me; mark my words." Alexander insisted as they walked into Angelica's words.

"Oh, I'm sure you will." Angelica's tone was dubious, but her words were sincere. She already liked Alexander. She knew that it would only get worse from this point forward. "And you know what would make me really like you?"

"What?" Alexander smiled lazily.

"Getting to work on this project." Angelica said, grinning at Alexander before grabbing her laptop off of her desk.

* * *

They were halfway through the project when there was a knock at Angelica's door.

"Yeah?" Angelica called over her shoulder, immersed in her work. Alexander didn't look up from his textbook as the door opened.

"Angelica," It was Eliza, Angelica's other sister. Eliza was a sophomore at their school. "Mama wants to know if your friend will be staying for dinner."

Alexander finally looked up. He didn't look at Eliza as she spoke; he looked straight at Angelica. Angelica glanced back at Eliza for a moment before turning to look at Alexander. She was surprised to realize that his eyes had never left her.

"I don't want to impose -" Alexander began to collect his belongings.

"No," Angelica put her hand over his, effectively halting his packing. Alexander looked at Angelica's hand for a moment before looking up at her, a smile playing on his lips. "Come on. It's taco night. Don't you want to stay for taco night?"

"I thought tacos were supposed to be on Tuesdays." He said with a smile.

"We're not conventional people." Angelica responded with a smile of her own. "So, what do you say? Think you can stomach my family for long enough to stomach a few tacos?"

"Angelica!" Eliza chastised. "You shouldn't make it seem like we're so horrible."

Angelica smiled over her shoulder at Eliza. Eliza was her best friend in the world. She did not include Eliza in her perception of her family.

"We all know you're the farthest cry from horrible, Eliza." Angelica affirmed. "I'm just trying to convince Alexander to stay."

"Oh." While Alexander hadn't taken his eyes off of Angelica, Eliza hadn't taken her eyes off of Alexander. Angelica could hardly blame her. Alexander really was so exceptionally handsome. "Of course. You should definitely stay, Alexander. I'm sure Papa could give you a ride home after dinner."

"Are you sure?" Alexander continued to look at Angelica.

Angelica nodded, still smiling. "I'm sure. You still have to meet Papa; make sure he likes you, remember?"

"Ah, yes." Alexander grinned. "Should I make our special announcement tonight?"

"Not just yet." Angelica laughed as Alexander helped her to her feet. "Let's at least hold off until graduation."

"Now I see. You want me to make the announcement during my valedictorian speech. You just can't stand not being the center of attention, can you?"

"Who says that you're going to be the valedictorian?" Angelica challenged as they clomped down the stairs. Eliza trailed after them, seemingly contented to observe the conversation without partaking.

"I'm first in our class." Alexander answered loftily. "Madison is second, but he's still recovering from mono. There's no way he's going to catch up. Jefferson is in third, but he's taking AP Economics this year and he already flunked his first quiz. You're fourth. Do you really thing you can leapfrog over all three of us?"

"I don't think that you should underestimate her." Eliza finally spoke up. "Sometimes I think that Angelica is only successful because she's so determined to prove everyone wrong."

Alexander's eyes still didn't leave Angelica. He cast her a jovial smile. "Just another thing we have in common, then."

* * *

"Who's this?" Mr. Schuyler asked amiably as Alexander walked into the dining room with Angelica and Eliza.

Angelica opened her mouth to introduce him, but it seemed that Alexander was more than capable of introducing himself.

"Alexander Hamilton, sir."

"Hamilton?" Mr. Schuyler's eyebrow quirked in surprise. He looked Alexander over carefully. "Washington's boy?"

Angelica looked to Alexander in surprise. She had never heard anyone talk about his foster parents before. Sure, Jefferson alluded to Alexander's situation as an orphan when he was being particularly catty, but beyond that, Angelica knew nothing about his home life.

"Yes, sir." Alexander's face went a little bit red.

"Well," Mr. Schuyler smiled, gesturing to the empty chair next to Eliza's designated seat. "You're certainly welcome here, Alexander. George is a good friend of mine. Have a seat."

"Yes, sir." Alexander seemed to want everyone to like him.

Eliza blushed as he took a seat next to her and cast her a friendly smile. Angelica smiled at her sister sympathetically. She was beginning to understand how daunting it could be to socialize with Alexander without blushing.

"So," Mrs. Schuyler began the dinner as she always began the dinner. "Who wants to tell me about their day first?"

Philip, Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy all stared down at their plates, avoiding Mrs. Schuyler's eyes in the hopes of going ignored. They were old enough to know that this would not work; they had to answer this question every night. Still, Angelica kept her eyes firmly locked on the heap of green beans on the upper left quadrant of her plate.

"Philip." Mrs. Schuyler usually chose Philip first when he was home. "How about you?"

Philip reluctantly tore his eyes away from his plate to lock eyes with his mother. "I worked on my research paper for my European art class."

"How many pages?"

"Two."

"How many do you need?"

"Fourteen."

"Philip." Mrs. Schuyler shook her head. "If you are going to insist on coming home for the weekends, you're going to have to prove that you can balance schoolwork and video games. Have you seen Sarah since you've been home?"

"Yes, Mama." Sarah was Philip's girlfriend. While Philip had gone off to live in the dorms, she remained at home. She still went to college, but she did not live on campus with Philip. It was the main reason that Philip visited home at all.

"How is her family?"

"Good." Philip nodded and began to jab at his meal with his fork, thinking that his time in the hot seat was over.

"So you two are still together," Mrs. Schuyler wasn't finished yet.

"Yes, Mama." Philip avoided her eyes again. The conversation was veering off to a place that he did not want to visit; Mrs. Schuyler was always reminding him that he was much too young to be settled down with any one girl in particular. If he was ever going to be anyone, she insisted, he would have to worry about himself now, and about finding a wife later.

To everyone's surprise, Mrs. Schuyler's sharp eyes turned to Angelica. "And you and John?"

"We're still together, Mama." Angelica answered firmly, refusing to show embarrassment when Alexander was watching.

"Hm." Mrs. Schuyler mused. She didn't like John. She rarely made a secret of it. "Do you think that you'll marry him?"

Angelica looked at Alexander impulsively. He was watching her. When their eyes met, he afforded her a crooked smile, the meaning of which she understood immediately. He was still thinking about his proposition to her on the stairs. She rolled her eyes and looked at her mother again.

"I don't know. I'm only seventeen."

"I met your father when I was seventeen." Mrs. Schuyler reminded her. She was constantly reminding Angelica of the looming burden of marriage.

"I auditioned for the play today." Eliza spoke up, her voice soft. She didn't meet Mrs. Schuyler's eyes, most likely because she knew that she would be chastised for interrupting the flow of the conversation. Angelica smiled at Eliza sympathetically. They both knew that Eliza had only interrupted to spare Angelica the uncomfortable marriage discussion. Eliza had always been the martyr of the family.

"Eliza, you're interrupting." Mrs. Schuyler said sharply.

"Sorry, Mama." Eliza blushed.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Schuyler." Alexander assisted, disarming Mrs. Schuyler with a charismatic smile before turning to look at Eliza. "But I didn't know that our school was auditioning for plays today. What's this year's show?"

Eliza's face reddened. Angelica smiled at her fondly. In that moment, Angelica adored Alexander, if for no other reason than that he rescued her favorite sister from the wrath of her overbearing mother. Maybe she would marry him, after all.

"Oh, we're doing the Wizard of Oz." Eliza answered. Alexander now had her full attention. "Did you want to audition? I think there may be another day left."

Alexander chuckled. "No, I don't think that I'll be auditioning for anything anytime soon. I'm not one for the theater. But if you get a role in the Wizard of Oz, I might be persuaded to attend."

"We could always use more audience members." Eliza said.

"Hm. Maybe your sister and I will go, then. What do you think, Angelica?" Alexander cast Angelica the coy smile that he seemed to save just for her.

"I've never missed one of Eliza's shows." Angelica told him smugly. "She's a star."

"Is that right?" Alexander turned to smile at Eliza again. "Well, then I'll certainly have to go see you. What part did you audition for?"

"Dorothy." Eliza glanced at her mother as she spoke.

"Dorothy?" Angelica sat up a little straighter in her seat. "I thought that you were going to audition for Auntie Em?"

"Eliza, the lead?" Mrs. Schuyler's expression was difficult to read. "You've never auditioned for the lead before."

"I know that." Eliza was embarrassed by all of the attention that she was receiving. She could no longer bear to look at Alexander. "I wasn't going to, but Mr. Beezer told me to."

Mr. Beezer was the theater teacher. Eliza thought he was a genius. Angelica reserved her judgment until she had more information.

"How did the audition go?" Angelica fidgeted in her seat. She wished that Eliza had told her about the audition sooner. She wished that she had skipped her student government meeting during lunch to see Eliza audition. She should have been there to support her sister; had their roles been reserved, Eliza would have overcome every obstacle to see her.

"Good. I think." Eliza smiled at Angelica gratefully. "We get the results next week."

"I can hardly wait." Angelica smiled back at her. "Are you sure we have to wait until next week? Why don't we call Mr. Beezer tonight? I'm sure his phone number is listed on the website."

"I know where he lives. We could go visit him." Alexander suggested, jerking his thumb over his shoulder with a broad grin. Eliza laughed, but did not meet Alexander's eyes. Angelica just smiled at him, very quickly coming to the conclusion that she ought to do away with John Church as soon as possible.

"Alexander," Mrs. Schuyler resumed control over the dinner conversation. She turned her hawk eyes to Alexander. Angelica and Eliza exchanged amused smiles before looking over to Alexander.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Since you're joining us tonight, I'll ask you, too: what did you do today?"

Alexander looked thoughtful. Philip, Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy stared at him in awe. They hadn't realized that taking a moment to think of a rational answer to Mrs. Schuyler's ambush was an option. Mrs. Schuyler smiled, realizing that Alexander was up for the challenge that she had bestowed upon him.

"I finished War and Peace over breakfast," Alexander began.

"You read Tolstoy?" Mr. Schuyler asked, breaking Mrs. Schuyler's rule about interrupting. Mrs. Schuyler glanced at him. Mr. Schuyler smiled sheepishly and looked to Alexander for an answer anyway.

"Yes, sir."

"You didn't read War and Peace in one morning." Philip accused. "When I was in high school, I had to wake up at five-thirty just to make it to school on time."

"I didn't read it in one morning." Alexander agreed. "But I wake up early every morning to have thirty minutes of time to read something other than my textbooks."

"Very nice." Mrs. Schuyler approved. Angelica folded her arms across her chest and watched Alexander like a cat watching a mouse. He was starting off with Mrs. Schuyler's approval. He had everything to lose at this point. "What did you do after finishing War and Peace?"

"I packed my lunch and went to school, ma'am."

"What did you pack for lunch?"

Alexander laughed. It was the kind of laugh that only used half of his face; his mouth slid into a lopsided smile that caused a dimple to appear on his right cheek. "A chicken salad sandwich and some carrots."

Mrs. Schuyler nodded. Alexander was two-for-two. This was unprecedented.

"Then I went to school." Alexander shrugged, assuming that there was not much else to tell. He was in for a rude awakening.

"What classes did you have today?"

"Oh." Alexander was caught off guard. Angelica smiled smugly. "I had AP Literature first, then AP Economics, then Linear Algebra, study hall, and the day ended with AP Government."

"Are you bad at math?" Philip asked, cocking his head to the side. "Or did you just get tired of all of the AP classes?"

"He better not be bad at math!" Peggy finally interjected. "He helped me with my homework!"

"Do I need to double-check my daughter's homework?" Mrs. Schuyler asked, her tone laced with amusement.

Alexander shook his head, smiling that half smile that made his right dimple appear. "No, ma'am. There is no AP Linear Algebra. It's not really a high school class. I have to watch lectures online and send my homework to a professor at NYU every Friday."

"Unbelievable." Philip grumbled.

"And what class are you in with Angelica?" Mrs. Schuyler asked.

"AP Government. And AP Literature. But we're working on a government assignment tonight." Alexander replied, glancing at Angelica before returning his attention to Mrs. Schuyler.

"How is it going?" Mrs. Schuyler looked at Angelica.

"Good." Angelica nodded. "We're just about finished."

"Uh-huh." Mrs. Schuyler looked Angelica over. "Being alone in your room isn't distracting you?"

"Mama!" Angelica frowned at her mother.

"Angelica," Mr. Schuyler interjected. "You know the rules. You are not supposed to have boys in your room. Especially not with the door closed."

"Oh my god." Angelica rolled her eyes, growing more and more irritated with her parents as time went on.

"Why don't you study in the family room?" Mr. Schuyler suggested lightly.

"Philip was playing video games!" Angelica complained.

"Well, he isn't anymore." Mrs. Schuyler cast Philip a look that was meant to convey the message that he was finished with video games until Alexander left. Philip sighed and leaned back in his seat.

"Yes, Mama." Angelica groaned.

* * *

"This is so cool." Alexander re-read their paper for the third time in ten minutes. His eyes were alight with excitement. He was smiling wildly, almost fiendishly. Angelica couldn't help but laugh at him as he flipped through the pages quickly.

"It's just a paper." She reminded him with a laugh. She pushed his shoulders. He looked up at her, his smile growing less frantic but no less excited.

"It's a great paper. I mean, listen, Annie, I know that I'm -"

"Annie?" Angelica interrupted.

"Oh, I'm sorry, do you mind?" Alexander didn't seem to hung up on the fact that he had just branded Angelica with a nickname. This was the first day in which they had said more than passing words to each other and he had already given her a nickname. Angelica began to feel some of the giddy excitement that Alexander had been exhibiting just seconds before.

"No. No, I guess I don't." She answered, trying not to let that excitement show.

"Good." Alexander smiled. "Though not as good as this paper. Really, I thought I was a good writer, but…wow. Why aren't you on the school paper?"

"I can only manage so many extracurriculars. I'm still trying to leapfrog over you, Madison, and Jefferson, remember?" Angelica reminded him with a wink.

Instead of laughing at her joke, Alexander just smiled at her. His eyes looked her over like he was examining her very closely. It wasn't critical, though. It was good-natured.

"You know what?" He said. Angelica tilted her head curiously, but didn't say anything. "I believe you. I think that if anyone is going to steal the valedictorian speech from me at the end of the year, it'll be you. But I'll tell you what, Annie. I'm not going down without a fight. I'm going to ask you to marry me during that speech, and you're going to say yes. Mark my words."

"Consider them marked." Angelica laughed, rolling her eyes at Alexander's ridiculous speech. "At eight forty-five, Alexander Hamilton was just vain enough to think that I would ever want to marry him."

"Hang on," Alexander's eyes widened. "Eight forty-five?"

"Oh, right. It's past your curfew, isn't it?" Angelica frowned. She'd noticed the clock passing eight a short while ago, but she and Alexander had been getting along so well, and he was so handsome when he concentrated on something really hard…so she'd pretended not to notice the time passing. She thought that he was ignoring it, too. Apparently not.

"Yeah, I've got to go." Alexander began to grab at his belongings hastily. Angelica didn't want him to rush out the door without taking the time to say a proper goodbye to her. She wanted him to take his time, maybe ask her out. If he was worried about getting home at the right time, he might not do so.

"But it's pouring out there!" It had started raining just an hour before. Even the weather was rooting for Angelica.

Alexander cast her that coy smile of his. "I'll be okay."

"No you won't. You'll freeze. If you catch pneumonia this weekend, you won't be able to help me present our paper on Monday. I'm too selfish to let that happen. Let me give you a ride home."

"You have a car?" Alexander asked, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

"Well, no, but my dad will lend me the keys. Just stay right here, okay? I'll get the keys and take you home."

"It's hard to turn down an offer like that." Alexander remarked in a flirtatious tone. "I really appreciate it, Angelica."

* * *

She was in the car with Alexander. They were alone in a car in the pouring rain and he smelled fantastic. Angelica blinked, struggling to focus on the empty road ahead of her. It was so difficult when it was such a dull drive and there was such an interesting boy in the passenger's seat.

"And it's this side street to the right." Alexander pointed towards the turn he was directing Angelica to.

"Okay." Angelica swung the car around the turn and slowed as they drove through a nice neighborhood. She no longer understood why Alexander was so impressed by her house - these houses seemed even nicer than hers.

"And it's that obnoxious one at the top of the hill." Alexander pointed to a colonial-styled house with lofty pillars and perfectly trimmed hedges.

"Very nice." Angelica approved, pulling the car to a halt in the driveway.

"Yeah, well, thanks for the ride home. I really appreciate it. Most of my friends just let me hoof my way home."

"You live three miles from my house. Were you really going to walk?"

Alexander grinned. "Are you impressed by my athletic prowess?"

"No, but I'm impressed by how proud you are. You could have just asked for a ride in the first place."

"Ah, but it's so much better when you offer."

Angelica rolled her eyes. "Go home. You're already late enough as it is."

Alexander ran a hand through his hair and glanced out the window at the house. "Yeah…Martha's probably worried. She doesn't like being home alone at this time of night…"

As he spoke, he turned to look at Angelica thoughtfully. "You wouldn't want to come in for a few minutes, would you?"

"What?" Angelica couldn't hide her surprise. Alexander was notorious for avoiding having people over at his house. Only Laurens and Hercules Mulligan had ever mentioned meeting Alexander's foster parents. Jefferson was constantly speculating about what Alexander might be hiding from the rest of the school. "Really?"

"Sure. If you want, I mean. Don't feel obligated. That said, I can almost guarantee that there is a cake or pie of some sort waiting on the counter."

"Are you using baked goods to lure me into your house?"

"Only if it's going to work. Otherwise I'll just eat them myself."

"Don't you dare." Angelica looked him over critically. "You'll ruin that figure of yours."

"Now you have to come in." Alexander decided. "I'm not taking no for an answer."

Angelica wrinkled her nose. "Won't your parents mind?"

She cringed. She didn't know whether 'parents' were the right word for Alexander's foster parents. But she didn't want to call them his foster parents, either, because he'd never mentioned them. She didn't want him to think that she sat at Jefferson's lunch table gossiping about him. Even though she did.

"Nah. It's just Martha. George is always away. He's in the military. I'm sure Martha'd be glad for the company." Alexander answered, opening the passenger door and stepping out of the car. "So are you coming, or what?"

Angelica pretended to be exasperated as she turned off the car and pulled the keys out of the ignition. She pretended to flinch at the rain when she stepped out of the car. That act earned her a valuable prize: Alexander quickly shed his own coat to throw over her, shielding her from as much of the rain as he could. As if that weren't enough, he then put his arm around her and guided her towards the front door as they ran from the rain.

Once they reached the front door, Alexander opened it and ushered Angelica in before him. They were both sopping wet, but neither minded much. Martha, on the other hand, immediately took issue with that fact.

"Alexander!" The older woman shuffled into the hallway, a stern expression on her face. That expression changed when she saw Angelica. "Oh, hello."

Alexander smiled and took a step towards Martha. "I'm sorry I'm so late. We got caught up with an assignment. Uh, Martha, this is my friend, Angelica. Angelica, this is Martha."

"Angelica." Martha smiled at Angelica kindly. Angelica returned the smile.

"It's so nice to meet you," Angelica looked from Martha to Alexander politely. She didn't mind meeting Martha - Angelica was excellent at meeting parents - but she didn't want to encroach on their evening. If Alexander was in trouble, Angelica didn't want to be the reason Martha was holding back. If Martha had been hoping for company that evening, Angelica didn't want to keep Alexander all to herself. Well, she wanted to, but she knew that she shouldn't.

"I should probably head home…" She looked to Alexander.

Alexander nodded. "Sure, if you want to. But if you want to hang around a little longer, I'm sure there's something to eat in the kitchen and something good about to start on TV."

"I was just about to begin a documentary on the Romans." Martha chimed in. "And there's carrot cake in the kitchen."

Alexander turned to look at Angelica with a smile that was meant to be enticing. "What do you say, Annie? Romans and carrot cake if you stay."

"I don't suppose I could possibly turn it down."

* * *

An hour into the Roman documentary, Martha had fallen asleep. Alexander noticed before Angelica did. He whistled at her and tapped her leg in order to get her attention. When Angelica finally tore her focus away from the documentary, Alexander smiled down at Martha before gesturing towards the staircase just outside of the living room.

Without a word, Angelica nodded her head and followed Alexander out of the living room and up the stairs, presumably towards his room.

"Are you allowed to have girls in your room?" Angelica whispered teasingly.

Alexander grinned and winked. "I won't tell if you won't tell."

As he pushed open the door and let Angelica in, Angelica was surprised by how messy Alexander's room was. Textbooks and papers jam-packed with words littered the floor. There was a desk in the corner of the room, but it was barely visible beneath heaps of books, papers, and files. A small, twin-sized bed was pressed against the other side of the wall. There were ink stains on the comforter.

"I know it's messy." Alexander said as he closed the door behind him. "I didn't think I'd be inviting you up here when I left for school this morning."

"And what if you had?" Angelica asked playfully, walking across the room to examine the book lying on Alexander's pillow. War and Peace. She smiled to herself as she continued to look around.

"I might not have cleaned up." Alexander answered apologetically, following Angelica as she moved around the room. "I might have been too busy celebrating."

Angelica rolled her eyes. "You're a flirt."

"I'm not," Alexander contested. "I'm unbearably polite, maybe, but certainly not a flirt."

"Then what am I doing in your bedroom?"

Alexander cocked his head to the side, grinning coyly. "What would you like to do?"

Angelica thought about his question for a moment. She liked Alexander - there was no point in denying that fact - but she didn't want to be just another conquest for him. She didn't want to be another one of his prom dates. He liked them, she knew that, and he even respected them, too. But Angelica had always had a difficult time blending in and sharing. So she did what came to her naturally: she fought against the tide.

"I want to be surprised." She said. "But I only want it to be a good surprise. If it's a bad surprise, I'm going home and I'll never come back here again."

Alexander didn't seem daunted by the challenge. "How will I know if it's a good surprise?"

"I'll stay."

"For how long?"

Angelica quirked a smile of her own. "That all depends on how interesting it is."

Alexander smiled. "I've got just the thing."

"Do you really?" Angelica asked, surprised. "Already?"

"I'm a quick thinker." Alexander told her, winking as he grabbed a notebook out of one of the drawers in his desk. He walked over to the side of his bedroom parallel to the doorway, where there were two windows occupied a large amount of the wall space. Once he retrieved the notebook, Alexander put it between his teeth, crouched down, and opened the window with some difficulty. He then grabbed a sweatshirt off of his bed and climbed out of the open window, his notebook still in his mouth. He gestured for Angelica to follow suit.

Never one to cower away from something, Angelica climbed out the window after him. It turned out that just beneath his window was a sloping roof; the angel was just enough to provide a comfortable perch. It was not so steep that either of them would go tumbling down at any moment.

Alexander laid down his sweatshirt, offering it to Angelica as a seat. Angelica accepted the seat, looking at Alexander expectantly as she sat down.

"What's in the notebook?" She asked.

"Something I've never shown anyone." Alexander replied, handing it over to Angelica as freely as one would hand over a napkin. "It's my manifesto."

"Your manifesto?" Angelica echoed in surprise. "Are you the next Karl Marx?"

Alexander laughed. "No. I'm not a communist. Very much the opposite, actually. I, ah, well, I think the government could be better. Much better. That's…well, I don't really know how to describe it."

"Alexander Hamilton at a loss for words." Angelica teased.

"It's how I would set up a new country." Alexander said decisively. "If I were given the chance. It has everything: a banking system, a system of checks and balances, open borders…the economy would flourish. No one has ever really given capitalism a fair chance. Right now the country is masquerading as a capitalistic economy, but the government has so many regulations and lets so many monopolies pass that it's just…"

"This is incredible." Angelica remarked as she flipped through the notebook. Alexander hadn't been lying; he really had thought of everything. There were graphs, charts, calculations…even drawings of his imagined country. "When did you do this?"

"It's been a pet project for a few years now." Alexander answered with a shrug.

"Well, it's very impressive." Angelica murmured, flicking through the pages. "I would only change a few things."

"Like what?" Alexander demanded. The tone of his voice suggested that he was more than a little insulted.

"For starters," Angelica didn't mind hurting his feelings. "You only have a plan for manufacturing. Where is the food going to come from?"

"Farmers are a dime a dozen. We hardly need to worry about that."

"If you alienate them and incentivize industry over agriculture, there won't be half the farmers that we have today. The economy will boom in the short term, a bunch of people will feel comfortable enough to reproduce, and then there won't be enough food for the growth in population."

Alexander looked at Angelica, his bright smile luminous in the dark. "I think I love you."

Angelica smiled back playfully. "If you think you love me now, just you wait."

* * *

Angelica smiled to herself as she drove home a few hours later. She and Alexander hadn't done anything beyond talking - Alexander hadn't even tried anything (something that Angelica refused to spend too much time considering) - but talking with Alexander felt different than talking with anybody else. They clicked. They understood each other. Angelica had never understood anyone the way that she understood Alexander, and no one had ever understood her the way that Alexander did.

She was two hours late for her curfew. Mrs. Schuyler would be furious. Angelica didn't care. She would happily accept any punishment that her parents doled out, because it would be worth it.

As far as she was concerned, she had just had her first date with her soul mate.

Just as she plopped down on her bed, ready to settle in for the night, her cell phone rang. She fished it out of her pocket, expecting Church to be on the other line to pester her about something or the other.

"Hello?"

"Annie." It was Alexander. "Hi. I just wanted to make sure you made it home alright."

Angelica smiled without realizing it. "Yes, I made it home just fine."

"Good." It sounded like Alexander was smiling, too. "Goodnight, Annie."

"Goodnight, Alexander."


	2. Chapter 2

"Will Mama let you go to my play?" Eliza asked as Angelica drove the two of them to school. Angelica looked away from the road to smile at Eliza sympathetically.

"I don't know, honey. She's pretty mad."

Eliza nodded. She had a quiet, thoughtful look on her face.

"Do you love him?" She finally asked.

"Who?" Angelica pretended not to know.

"That boy. Alexander." Eliza persisted. "It just seems like you two were so…" She couldn't seem to find the right words. "I just wondered if you and John were having trouble."

"Oh, no," Angelica lied, shaking her head. She knew that Eliza liked John. In the years that they had been dating, John had adopted Angelica's protective attitude towards Eliza. He was always stopping her in the halls to ask her about her day, walking her home when she stayed at the library past sunset, and tutoring her when she had trouble with her classes. Angelica couldn't bear to disappoint Eliza. "No, of course not. Church and I are fine. Alexander and I are just friends."

"Oh." Eliza was quiet again.

Angelica turned her attention to the road, trying not to think about Alexander. Every time she thought about the past Friday night, her heart leapt. When she thought about seeing him again, there was a nervous twinge in her chest. Would he talk to her the way that he had when they were alone on the roof? Or would he pretend that they were just the acquaintances that they had been when they left school on Friday afternoon? Would he tell his friends about their conversation, or would he just make innuendos or laugh? Would Church hear about Friday night before she could tell him that they were over; that she was leaving him for Alexander?

"Here we are." Angelica announced as she pulled into her assigned parking spot. She immediately put the car in "park" and scrambled for her backpack. Eliza - ever the picture of elegance and grace - grabbed her backpack in one smooth movement and exited the car.

"Tell me if you find out your audition results, okay?" Angelica called as Eliza began to walk in the direction of her classes. Sophomores were in the older wing of the school. Angelica, a senior, belonged in the newer wing. The two sisters rarely saw each other between classes. They would only be temporarily reunited for lunch.

"Okay!" Eliza called back, smiling widely. Angelica smiled back before walking into the new wing of school.

As she walked into homeroom, she was greeted to the familiar sight of all of the cliques huddled together. There was Jefferson's clique: Aaron Burr, James Madison, and, of course, Thomas Jefferson. There was Alexander's clique: John Laurens, Hercules Mulligan, Robert Troup, Lafayette, and, of course, Alexander Hamilton. The other cliques really didn't matter.

Church, meanwhile, was sitting apart from the cliques, waiting for Angelica. Church didn't belong to one group or another. He drifted from clique to clique with ease. Both Jefferson and Alexander liked Church, despite hating each other. Maybe they both realized that Church was a harmless ally to keep at bay.

"Angelica," Church smiled as Angelica entered the room. Angelica forced herself to return the smile as she walked towards her usual desk at Church's side. She glanced at Alexander as she moved. He was saying something to Laurens, but he was staring at her while he spoke. "How was your weekend? I was sorry that we couldn't find time for each other, but I thought that maybe after school, we could go get a late lunch at that Thai place you like."

"I'd love to, Church, but I'm grounded. Indefinitely." Angelica responded, struggling to keep her eyes on Church when her mind was so wrapped up in Alexander.

"Grounded?" Church sat up in his chair, surprised. Angelica was not the type to find herself in trouble. It wasn't that she was a trouble maker - there was no bigger trouble maker than Angelica Schuyler - she was just too smart to get caught misbehaving. "For what?"

Angelica rolled her eyes. "I was out past curfew."

"Doing what?" Church didn't look suspicious, just confused. Angelica had lied and told him that she would be busy studying all weekend long. It was the only reason that he had stayed away from the Schuyler mansion for two days in a row.

"Taking Alexander Hamilton home. We were working on our government project - you know, the one I told you about on Saturday - and by the time we were done, it was pouring rain. He lives a couple of miles down the road. He would have caught hypothermia if I had let him walk all that way. So I gave him a ride and wound up being out for a little bit past my curfew. Mama went ballistic."

"Aw." Church believed her. Of course he believed her. He would have believed a can of soup if a can of soup were able to talk. "That's terrible. Can I at least come over? If we can't go get Thai food, I could bring the Thai to you."

"I'll have to ask Mama." Angelica said, for the sake of silencing him. "But you know how strict she is."

"I know." Church allowed. "But you would think that she would let you take someone home at night."

"You would think." Angelica shrugged with a small smile.

"Did I hear that you took Alexander Hamilton home Friday night?" Aaron Burr leaned into the conversation.

Angelica rolled her eyes. "Isn't Monday morning a little early to be eavesdropping, Aaron?"

"It's never too early to eavesdrop." Burr didn't mind the disdain in Angelica's voice. He scooted his chair closer to Angelica and Church. Jefferson and Madison looked up from their conversation, clearly checking whether there was some better conversation that they needed to be a part of. Seeing Burr's smirk and Angelica's frown, they decided that it was just Burr flirting with Angelica again and resumed their conversation.

"So I gave Alexander a ride. What about it?" Angelica asked impatiently.

"Isn't it obvious?" Burr asked, glancing back at Alexander before grinning at Angelica. Angelica couldn't help but follow his eyes. Alexander noticed both of them looking at him and stared back inquisitively. Both Burr and Angelica turned their attention back to each other.

"Isn't what obvious?" Angelica sighed.

Church, blessedly, remained quiet.

"Hamilton is after you." Burr said it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"What?" Angelica asked as though it were the most ridiculous thing in the world.

Burr's face lit up. Apparently, this was like Christmas to him. "You don't know? He requested you as his partner for the government project before class."

"He did?" Angelica asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Why would he do that?" Church questioned.

"Aw; you're so naïve. I almost don't want to tell you." Burr said with a patronizing smile. "Hamilton is an orphan."

"So what?" Angelica demanded, offended on Alexander's behalf.

"So he doesn't have the connections that your family has. He's only got his foster dad, and old George Washington is off serving as a general. There's no one to make sure that Hamilton knows all the right people to get into all the right schools, to get all the right jobs."

"What does that have to do with Angelica?" Church asked.

Burr laughed. "What do you think, genius? Everyone knows that the Schuyler family is connected. Angelica's dad is already in the senate. Hamilton needs connections and the Schuyler family has connections. Do the math."

"You think Alexander is whoring himself out for connections?" Angelica asked dubiously.

Burr shrugged, a self-satisfied smirk playing on his lips. "You're right. It would be completely out of character for Hamilton to seduce a gorgeous girl in order to climb the social ladder. I don't know what I was thinking."

He turned around to rejoin the conversation with Jefferson and Madison, evidently satisfied with the doubt that he had placed in Angelica's head.

He had every right to feel satisfied, too. Angelica shifted in her seat, ignoring the words coming out of Church's mouth as he tried to change the subject. Church always changed the subject when he could tell that Angelica was unhappy.

While he chattered on about his math homework, Angelica fought the urge to bite her nails and look at Alexander. Could he really only be using her for her connections? He seemed so charming, so sincere on Friday night. But Alexander was known for being charming, even to those who didn't deserve his charm. And he was enlisted to attend prom at all six private schools in the county. Maybe he was using her. Or, at least, trying to.

"Angelica?" Church stared at her expectantly. Apparently somewhere in the rambling, there had been a question.

"I'm sorry?" She blinked, trying to chase the bad thoughts out of her head.

Church smiled, silently forgiving her for taking him for granted. He was really too good for her. "I was asking you if you wanted me to skip study hall and get Thai for lunch, since you're grounded."

"You know what?" Angelica was supposed to spend study hall working on her government project with Alexander, but she no longer felt inclined to help Alexander with anything. "Yeah. Yeah, that sounds like a lot of fun."

"Great." Church pecked Angelica's cheek as the bell for first period rang. "I'll meet you in the parking lot."

* * *

" _Emma_ , huh?" Angelica was stuck sitting next to Aaron Burr during literature. He had craned his neck to get a look at the book that she had chosen for her senior paper. Jane Austen's _Emma_. "That's fitting."

Angelica sighed and slammed her book down on her desk. "What could you possibly have to say about Emma?"

"Hm. A smart, gorgeous girl making a series of romantic blunders…I wonder how I could possibly relate this to you…"

Angelica wished that she could roll her eyes harder. "Are you still talking about Alexander? I'm starting to think that he means more to you than he does to anyone at this school."

"I didn't say anyone's name." Burr reminded her smugly. "For all you know, I could have been talking about Jefferson. Or any of the guys at this school, if we're being honest…"

"Not you." Angelica smirked back at Burr.

"And whose fault is that?" Burr reminded her. He had been the bane of her existence ever since freshman year of high school, when his hormones apparently kicked in. Every word he said to her had a flirtatious tone to it. But that wasn't saying much. As bad as Alexander Hamilton was with dating anyone and everyone, Aaron Burr was just as bad. And only slightly less good-looking. Still, Angelica had never been interested.

"Yours." Angelica answered, returning her attention to her book. "If you weren't so terrible, maybe you would have had your chance."

"Why am I so terrible?" Burr asked, unhurt. "What's the difference between me and Alexander Hamilton? No, really. If it's the womanizing, I can step my game up. I can probably hunt down four girlfriends by the end of the month. Would that be enough for you?"

"Get lost, Burr." Angelica said, flicking through the pages of her book without actually reading the words.

"Is it the arrogance? I could be arrogant."

"You're already arrogant."

"Not as arrogant as Hamilton."

"You're right. You're somehow _more_ arrogant than Alexander."

"I don't believe that," Burr said with a shit-eating grin. "Not for a second. Don't tell me I have to take it upon myself to imitate him. I don't want to have to do that, but if that's how I'm finally going to win you over -"

"No one is winning anyone over." Angelica told him, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Alexander is not winning me over, and neither are you. I'm with Church."

"Ugh." Burr slumped down in his seat. Though everyone in school knew that Angelica wasn't all that crazy about Church, they knew that it was game over when she insisted that she was. She only told the boys that she disliked that she was happily taken. The boys that she did like…well, they were assured that they did not need to worry about Church.

At present, Burr was told that Angelica was happily taken. Angelica wasn't sure what to tell Alexander just yet.

* * *

"I missed you during study hall." Alexander's tone wasn't reproachful. In fact, he was smiling. Granted, it wasn't the ray-of-sunshine smile that he usually employed around girls, but it was small and begging for a sign of good will.

"I had a long lunch with Church." Angelica said shortly, avoiding Alexander's eyes. They were lavender and enchanting and Angelica knew that she would get caught up in them the moment that she let her guard down.

"Where did you go?" Alexander asked instead of getting angry.

"The Thai place down the street." Angelica answered. "You ever been?"

Alexander shook his head with a bashful smile. "Nah; my stomach can't handle those spices."

"Lightweight." Angelica couldn't help but tease him. Their repertoire was so organic. It took no effort at all to concoct witty banter with Alexander. And he always dished it out just as well as he received it. Had Angelica not been paranoid about Burr's suggestion that Alexander was just using her, Angelica would have gladly dragged Alexander out of AP Government and taken him to the Thai restaurant. Or to the back of her car. Whichever.

"I'd bear the consequences if you would go with me." Alexander suggested. He looked down at his watch. "We still have a few minutes before class starts."

"I already skipped study hall." Angelica responded, trying very hard not to smile. "I can't skip this class, too."

"Then how about after school?" Alexander suggested, slipping into the seat next to Angelica. It was Jefferson's seat, but Jefferson wasn't in the classroom yet. He was probably outside talking to Madison.

"I can't." Angelica finally tore her eyes away from her notes to look at Alexander. "I'm grounded."

"Grounded?" Alexander jerked his head back in surprise. "What for?"

Angelica quirked a smile. "I was out past curfew on Friday night."

Alexander's face fell. "Oh, shit. Annie, I'm sorry."

Angelica shook her head and waved off his apology. "Don't be. I knew when my curfew was; it's my fault."

"I don't guess I'll be visiting the Schuyler house anytime soon." Alexander looked remorseful. It gave rise to Angelica's suspicion that maybe Burr was right. Maybe he really had asked to be assigned to work with Angelica in order to get closer to the Schuyler clan.

"No, I don't guess you will." Angelica agreed. "But maybe we can work on the project after school tomorrow at the library? Eliza will probably be staying after for the school play and my mom will let me stay here so I can drive her home."

"Yeah," Alexander smiled. He still looked sad - it might have been guilt, but it also might have been his plan to get connections failing - but he was doing his best to hide it. Had Angelica not been so willing to see it, she might have been able to overlook it. "Yeah, that'd be great. I really think we're on to something here."

"You're in my seat." Jefferson had arrived. Standing by his side were Madison and his girlfriend, Dolly.

Alexander turned to look at Jefferson, his mouth curving down into a harsh frown. He glanced at Madison for just a fraction before returning his attention to Jefferson.

"There are plenty of other seats, Thomas." Alexander reminded him curtly.

"So why don't you take one of them?" Jefferson countered.

"We're sort of in the middle of something right now." Alexander said, gesturing towards Angelica. Jefferson turned to look at Angelica critically. Angelica just smiled and shrugged, neither accepting nor denying Alexander's claim. She had gotten in the middle of too many of Jefferson's feuds as it was. She didn't need another testosterone match in her life.

"Trying to sell Angelica Girl Scout cookies to afford tuition?" Jefferson asked in a condescending tone, cocking his head to the side and grinning like a Cheshire cat about to devour a canary.

Alexander's expression turned murderous. Angelica couldn't help but be drawn into the drama - she had never seen Alexander so angry. He always seemed affable; he always bore Angelica's snarky remarks with a smile and a good-natured comeback of his own. Jefferson didn't seem concerned about it, though. From what Angelica had heard, he spent a majority of his time baiting Alexander. It was only natural that he would have seen such a reaction a few times before this one.

"Aren't there under aged girls for you to be harassing?" Alexander countered, his tone venomous.

Alexander was referring to Sally Hemings, Jefferson's summer romance from months before. It surfaced that she was only thirteen, while Jefferson was seventeen. Jefferson had neither confirmed nor denied the rumors, but Angelica knew they were true. She'd met Sally a number of times. She was cute, but very obviously too young for Jefferson. The poor girl was lovesick over Jefferson, the way most young girls are when they meet their older brother's cute friends. The difference, though, was that most girls' older brothers' friends knew better than to encourage the affections of a thirteen year-old girl. Jefferson did not know better. And he paid the price by being the talk of the town for months to come.

Jefferson clenched his fists hard enough to make his knuckles crack. "Listen, you son of a whore -"

The bell rang. Just as the teacher entered the classroom, Alexander rose with as much grace as was possible in the situation. He returned to his normal seat among his gaggle of friends. Jefferson took his seat next to Angelica, still seething from the interaction.

"I ought to kill him," He mumbled under his breath as the teacher begin drawing a flowchart of the structure of the government.

"No, you shouldn't." Angelica said as though they were maintaining the most dull conversation in the world. "If you kill him, you'll go to prison. If you go to prison, no good schools will accept you. Is a petty comment really worth ruining your future for?"

"Hm." Jefferson sneered at Angelica. She did not care for that look at all. "I should have guessed that you would take his side. Aaron said that you two had quite the weekend together."

"We worked on our government project on Friday night." Angelica stated plainly. "I don't have to justify that to you. Or anyone else, really. Do whatever you want with Alexander. Just keep the drama and that attitude of yours away from me."

Jefferson glared at her. Angelica ignored him, pretending to focus on the teacher's drawing. Jefferson spent the better half of a minute scowling at her before finally giving up and taking notes of his own.

* * *

The bell rang, excusing students for the day. Angelica leapt out of her seat and threw her books into her bag. While Angelica gathered her belongings, Jefferson stormed off. He was still in a snit over his little spat with Alexander. It wasn't a big deal. Jefferson had always been a little bit high-strung. He would call her later that evening to discuss some obscure news story, the argument forgotten.

"I'm sorry about what happened with…" Alexander materialized by Angelica's side the moment that Jefferson was gone, gesturing towards the doorway through which Jefferson had disappeared.

"Don't be." Angelica threw her backpack over her shoulder. "He started it. He usually starts things like that."

"Yeah." Alexander nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I guess I shouldn't ask why you hang out with him so much."

Angelica crooked a smile. "No, you shouldn't."

Alexander laughed and glanced in the direction of the doorway, his head hanging slightly. "Well, don't let me hold you up. It looks like you've got somewhere to be."

Angelica glanced towards the doorway before smiling at Alexander. Maybe he was using her, but god, he was cute. "Nowhere exciting; I'm grounded, remember? I'm actually on my way over to the old wing to see if Eliza got her role yet."

"Oh, yeah. She was auditioning for Dorothy, wasn't she? You'll have to let me know how that goes."

"I could call you." Angelica suggested wryly. "Or you could just come with me to ask her."

"How about both?" Alexander suggested, gesturing towards the door way. "Does your Mama let you use the phone when you're grounded?"

"She does. If I'm in the house, she doesn't care what I'm doing." Angelica said decisively.

Okay, so maybe she was falling back into his trap, but really, what was the harm in that? So he got a few connections out of her - was that really so bad? So he only liked her for what she could offer him - she could live with that. She liked spending time with him. Maybe that could be enough.

They began to walk through the halls of the school. They had to struggle against the currents of students dashing for the exit. A few girls made passing comments at Alexander, which Angelica pretended to ignore. In his defense, Alexander didn't shy away from it. He smiled and spoke to anyone who spoke to him, looking from the girls to Angelica as though they were all friends.

Finally, they reached the old wing. Eliza was standing at her locker, her face hidden. Angelica felt her heart drop in her chest. What if Eliza hadn't gotten the part? What if she had flown too close to the sun and had been excluded from the play as a whole because of it? What if Mr. Beezer had decided that it was all or nothing - if Eliza wasn't good enough to be the lead, she couldn't play anything at all? What if she had gotten her hopes up and was now a tree?

"Eliza." Angelica's voice was shaky as she touched her sister's slender shoulder. Eliza turned around, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright. Suddenly, Angelica's heart leapt right back up into its usual place.

"I got the part." When Eliza was excited, she whispered. She grew less and less audible as her excitement mounted. Angelica wished that she had her sister's quiet, demure demeanor.

"You got the part?" Angelica asked incredulously. "Eliza, that's amazing!"

"Congratulations." Alexander said from behind them, his smile sincere.

"Thank you." Eliza looked down, blushing a furious shade of scarlet.

"Ugh, I'm so proud of you!" Angelica pulled Eliza into a hug that was probably too tight. Eliza didn't protest. She just nestled her head into Angelica's shoulder. Her whole body was trembling. She was so excited; so happy. Angelica's heart felt like it would burst with happiness for her younger sister.

"This calls for a celebration." Alexander decided.

"Alexander, I'm grounded." Angelica reminded him, releasing Eliza from her hold and shaking her head. She couldn't help but smile. "We have to get home before Mama loses her mind."

"Then I'll meet you there." Alexander said. "I can get some carry out and bring it over."

"Mama won't let you in the house." Angelica told him.

"Not even if I was there to see Eliza?" Alexander asked, feigning innocence. "You aren't grounded, are you, Eliza?"

Eliza shook her head, smiling. She turned to Angelica. "Can he come over? Please? We could have a little picnic in my room and watch the Wizard of Oz together! Mama wouldn't mind, not if I told her that he was my friend."

Angelica smiled good-naturedly. She didn't have it in her to tell Eliza no.

"Fine." She said. She spoke especially to Alexander. "But you have to go home before it gets dark outside. There's no way that Mama will let me drive you home again."

"You've got yourself a deal." Alexander agreed with a toothy grin. "Only…"

"What?" Angelica asked, pretending to be impatient and failing miserably.

"Do you think you could give me a lift to pick up the food? And to your house?"

"Really?"

"What?" Alexander shrugged, still smiling. "I don't have a car. How do you expect me to get the food if I don't have a car?"

"Fine." Angelica knew that she would most likely get in trouble for showing up with Alexander in tow, but there was hardly a thing she could do about it. It was hard enough to tell Eliza no; when her pleas were combined with Alexander's, it was damned near impossible to resist.

"So…how about Taco Bell?" Alexander suggested as they walked to the car.

"Absolutely not." Angelica shook her head adamantly. "I'm on a diet. A no-Taco Bell diet."

"You think you're too good for the Bell?" Alexander asked, as though personally wounded by Angelica's rejection of Taco Bell.

"I _know_ I'm too good for it." Angelica answered. "How about something less likely to give us all food poisoning? Maybe Indian food from the sketchy gas station down the road?"

"Very funny." Alexander smirked at Angelica. She smirked right back at him. "Eliza, what do you think?"

"Oh, I don't…" Eliza's eyes widened like a deer in the headlights. "I don't really have a preference."

"Eliza doesn't want Taco Bell, either." Angelica supplied. "Her pallet is too refined for that. I'll have you know that she is a gourmet chef."

"She is not." Alexander argued, looking at Eliza with an impressed grin.

Angelica could never resist the opportunity to brag about his little sister. Alexander seemed to realize that.

"I wouldn't say _gourmet_ …" Eliza's face had never been so red.

"I would. She makes this swordfish steak that is better than anything I've ever had in a restaurant before." Angelica said, putting her arm around Eliza's shoulder as they neared the car.

"I've never had swordfish steak." Alexander said.

"I could make it." Eliza responded so quietly that Angelica nearly missed it. "If you want."

"You should!" Angelica answered, delighted. Eliza only made her swordfish steak on special occasions, like a birthday or election night. The opportunity to have it on a regular night was too tempting to resist. "We can stop by the grocery store on our way home. Alexander, sit in the back. Clearly the lead in the Wizard of Oz deserves to sit shotgun."

"I couldn't agree more." Alexander grinned, opening the passenger door for Eliza before clambering into the back seat of the car. Eliza smiled to herself and looked straight down into her lap, her face red and her eyes gleaming.

* * *

"How did you make this?" Alexander demanded, his mouth full of food.

It had been difficult to smuggle Alexander into the house - Mr. Schuyler was still at work, but Mrs. Schuyler was there to interrogate him the moment he set foot through the door. Eliza had stepped right up to the plate, though, assuring Mrs. Schuyler that Alexander was only there to learn her swordfish recipe for Home Economics. It was the first time that Eliza had lied to Mrs. Schuyler since Angelica had broken a family heirloom playing hide and go seek.

From there, it was only a matter of sneaking into Eliza's room to watch the Wizard of Oz with her and Alexander. That wasn't difficult to do. Angelica spent so much time alone in her room that no one would go looking for her for at least a few hours.

"It's a secret." Eliza said with a playful smile.

Alexander shook his head, smiling from ear to ear. He swallowed his mouthful of food before speaking. "Doesn't matter. I'm terrible at cooking, anyway."

"Everyone is terrible at cooking compared to Eliza." Angelica smiled at Eliza proudly.

"Do you like cooking?" Alexander asked Eliza.

"I do." Eliza flushed with pride.

"Eliza is the only person I know who actually enjoys cooking and cleaning." Angelica cut in. She could hardly help herself. Bragging about her little sister was one of her favorite hobbies.

"Good for you." Alexander agreed pleasantly. "I wish I liked those things. In the most practical ways, I'm useless. I forget everything, I can't even boil a pot of pasta, and my room is constantly a mess."

"It really is." Angelica agreed with a sideways smirk at Alexander.

"Well," Eliza said. "I guess you'll just have to find someone who enjoys cleaning to offset your messiness."

"Or you'll have to start picking up after yourself." Angelica contributed.

"Or I can just wade through the mess." Alexander grinned.

Angelica rolled her eyes and forced herself to look away from Alexander. She couldn't wipe the stupid smile off of her face. Try as she might, she could hardly help herself from falling for Alexander time and time again. Alexander watched Angelica for a few seconds before returning his attention to the Wizard of Oz.

"Is the school going to follow the script verbatim?" Alexander asked a moment or two later, looking at Eliza.

"I'm not really sure," Eliza replied thoughtfully. "I was so worried about getting the part that I hadn't given much thought to what would happen once I actually got it."

Alexander laughed. "I guess that's one way of handling it."

"We don't all take steps three at a time, Alex." Angelica told him with a playful smile. Alexander grinned back at Angelica, and she could have sworn that as much as she loved him in that moment, he loved her more, still.

"Don't you?" He challenged.

"I do." Angelica agreed. "But Eliza is just smart enough to learn from my mistakes and perfect each step before facing the next."

Eliza blushed, smiling from Angelica and Alexander.

"Well, Eliza," Alexander put his plate down for the first time since he had first tasted Eliza's swordfish steak. "If you act as well as you cook, you'll be on Broadway in no time at all."

"Thank you." Eliza seemed practically paralyzed with joy.

A knock jolted them out of their cozy atmosphere.

"Angelica?" Mrs. Schuyler's voice could be heard down the hallway, outside of Angelica's room. Angelica and Eliza exchanged panicked looks. Angelica didn't worry so much about being punished for disobeying her own punishment; she just didn't want to get Eliza in trouble. She didn't want Eliza to bear the consequence of her inability to stay away from Alexander Hamilton.

Angelica immediately darted toward the window. Eliza realized what she was up to before Alexander and leapt to her feet.

"Angie, _no_!" She whispered sternly. "You'll die!"

"Drama queen." Angelica teased with a shit-eating grin. She threw open the window and stepped out onto the balcony just outside of Eliza's room.

"Why can't we just tell Mama that you were only in here to say goodnight to Alexander?" Eliza reasoned, following Angelica out onto the balcony. Alexander followed Eliza out, his arms folded across his chest. He was watching Angelica with a certain intrigue that only made her all the more daring.

"Because Mama will never believe me." Angelica answered, climbing up onto the railings of the balcony.

" _Whoa-oh!_ " Alexander shouted, alarm evident in his voice. He ushered forward towards Angelica. She just smiled at him before standing up straight, holding both arms out to keep her balance. "Annie, get down from there."

"Don't tell me the fearless Alexander Hamilton is afraid," Angelica teased as she walked along the railing towards the railing of her own balcony. She didn't dare look back at Alexander. "From what I've heard, you've had plenty of similar adventures yourself. Surely you know that the key to success in these endeavors is confidence."

"This isn't funny, Angelica." Eliza sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

"I'm not trying to be funny." Angelica protested. "Don't worry about it. I've done this hundreds of times."

"That doesn't make me feel better." Eliza pouted.

"Go inside if it bothers you so much." Angelica suggested, reaching out towards her own balcony. There was about a foot and a half between Eliza's balcony and hers. It was a treacherous distance, but not an impossible one.

" _Jesus_ , Annie." Alexander said in wonderment. "Don't look down."

"Oh, no," Angelica called back sarcastically, just as she moved from Eliza's railing to her own. "I climbed all the way over here specifically to look down!"

"I can't look." Eliza's voice wobbled. "Tell me when she's safe."

Angelica leapt down from her railing, landing safely on the balcony outside of her bedroom.

"Son of a bitch," Alexander's smile was dizzy, like he was lightheaded from relief. He shook his head, his hands planted squarely on his hips. Eliza, who had been covering her eyes with her hands, finally snuck a peek by cracking her fingers apart. "You're a marvel, Annie."

Angelica curtsied the way that Mrs. Schuyler had taught her when she was younger before blowing Alexander a kiss that was accompanied by a devious wink.

"Angelica, you open this door right this second!" Mrs. Schuyler was still knocking on her door. Angelica smiled at Alexander and Eliza for just a second more before rushing into her bedroom and throwing open her bedroom door. Mrs. Schuyler was standing on the other side of the door, looking thoroughly unamused.

"Sorry, Mama." She rubbed her eyes and pretended to yawn. "I guess I must have fallen asleep doing my homework."

"Did you really?" Mrs. Schuyler didn't believe her, but didn't have enough proof to accuse her of anything.

"Yes, Mama." Angelica smiled, knowing that she would get away with her bad behavior.

"I don't suppose that you've spoken to your friend Alexander tonight?" Mrs. Schuyler asked.

"Of course I have, Mama. I drove him and Eliza here after school."

Mrs. Schuyler's eyes narrowed. "Don't be smart, Angelica. You know what I mean."

"I've been doing homework all night. I thought that Alexander would have gone by home by now. It's almost dark, and since I'm not allowed to drive him home…"

"No." Mrs. Schuyler remained firm on the issue. "I don't want you even thinking about it."

Angelica frowned. "Yes, Mama."

"Goodnight, Angelica."

"Goodnight, Mama."

Angelica watched her mother walk into her bedroom and close the door. She then waited about fifteen seconds before slipping down the hallway and entering Eliza's bedroom again.

"She lives!" Alexander said with his usual dramatic flair. Angelica rolled her eyes before sprawling across Eliza's bed.

"You two are just a bunch of worry warts." She told Alexander and Eliza.

"And you're too reckless." Eliza countered with a fond smile. "You could have gotten yourself killed."

"At least I would have died having fun." Angelica said with a sheepish smile.

"And on that note," Alexander grabbed his jacket off of the back of Eliza's desk chair. "I should probably head home. It's starting to get dark out, and you never know who you're going to see on the streets. Eliza, thank you for dinner. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a meal so much. And Angelica…thank you for the fear of God that I'd almost forgotten existed."

"Hey," Angelica said with a grin. "Why don't I walk you home?"

Alexander looked at her inquisitively. It was clear that he was tempted by her offer, but thought better of accepting. "You don't have to."

"I know I don't. But I just got away with all of the rules I've been breaking tonight, so I might as well break a few more and see how much else I can get away with." Angelica said with a grin.

"Far be it from me to tell you to think better of breaking rules." Alexander said in that flirtatious tone of his.

"Good. Then let's get going." Angelica spared a quick glance at Eliza, who was looking very much like the third wheel. "Eliza, are you coming?"

Eliza shook her head, red in the face. "Mama would kill me."

"Okay." Angelica said cheerfully, knowing better than to argue with Eliza. She had already broken enough rules for the night. "Then I'll be back in a half hour or so. If Mama asks, I went for a walk. If she doesn't believe you, just let me handle her when I come home. You've lied enough for me for one night."

Eliza smiled. She turned her huge, doe eyes to Alexander. "Okay. It was nice seeing you again, Alexander."

"You too, Eliza. Let me know when the school play is. I'd love to see this," He gestured towards Eliza's TV, where Dorothy was currently meeting with the Wizard. "With someone I actually know in it."

Eliza nodded, her massive smile producing two dimples in her cheeks.

Alexander turned to Angelica. "You ready?"

Angelica grinned back at him, shrugging on her coat and scarf. "Always."

* * *

"I don't know what to make of you, Annie." Alexander cast her a sideways glance as they walked through the quiet streets of Albany.

"What do you mean?" Angelica asked.

"I'm not sure I know that, either." Alexander admitted with a laugh. "You're just…I don't think I've ever met anyone like you, before. You're so smart, but you do stupid things like climbing over balconies. You're gorgeous, but you're with John Church, of all people -"

"Hey! Church is a nice guy." Angelica couldn't help but defend Church. After all, he wasn't here to defend himself.

"He is." Alexander agreed without hesitation. "Too nice for you, I'd say."

"Oh, you think I deserve to be with an asshole?" Angelica challenged him.

" _No_! No. I just think that someone like you ought to be with someone that calls you out instead of letting you get away with murder. Someone who wants to be a part of the story instead of just listening to it on Monday morning. Someone like -"

Angelica's phone rang. She glanced down at the caller ID. It was Jefferson. After he had stormed off at the end of government, Angelica felt obligated to answer.

"I'm sorry, do you mind?" She asked Alexander, already reaching to answer the phone. She didn't actually listen to whether or not Alexander minded, she was only being polite. She was still going to answer the phone. Jefferson was, after all, one of her weekend boys. She did notice, however, the look that crossed Alexander's face when he saw Jefferson's picture pop up on Angelica's phone screen.

"Hello?" She sighed, wondering whether she was going to get pouty Jefferson or apologetic Jefferson.

"Hey," Jefferson said, his voice soft. Apologetic Jefferson. "It's me."

"I know it's you, Tom." Angelica couldn't help but smile.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Jefferson was never one to beat around the bushes. "I know I was wrong. I know that it's none of my business who you spend time with; I just…I don't like that Hamilton kid. Something's not right about him."

Angelica didn't have her phone on speaker, but in the dead silence of the night, Alexander could plainly hear Jefferson's words. He looked down at the ground as they continued to walk. His blush was visible even in the dark.

"Tom, I don't -"

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm supposed to be apologizing. What you think about Hamilton is none of my business." Jefferson was saying just as they neared Alexander's front door. Alexander was no longer looking at Angelica. Angelica couldn't look away from Alexander. She felt terrible for what he had overheard; it was clear that he suspected her of sharing Jefferson's opinion of him.

"You're right." Angelica replied firmly. "It is none of your business."

"Do you forgive me?" Jefferson asked.

Angelica frowned, still looking at Alexander. "I'll think about it and get back to you tomorrow."

Without another word, she hung up on Jefferson. Alexander still wasn't looking at her as she put her phone in her jacket pocket. He was already reaching for the doorknob of his front door.

"Well, thanks for walking me home," He mumbled, his tone nowhere near as self-assured as usual.

"Alex, wait." Angelica commanded. Alexander reluctantly looked away from the doorknob towards Angelica. Angelica seized the opportunity before she thought better of it - she moved forward and kissed Alexander squarely on the lips.

His posture went rigid. He didn't seem to know what to do for the first few seconds, but soon enough, he melted right into it. His right hand ghosted over Angelica's waist as he leaned forward and kissed her right back. He was a good kisser, too. Definitely better than Church. Possibly better than Jefferson.

But Angelica still had some principles, and she knew better than to kiss Alexander for more than a few seconds during their first kiss. She had to leave him wanting more; give him a reason to grovel a little the next time that he asked her out.

"Annie, I -"

"I don't care what Tom says about you." Angelica said simply. She smiled as she spoke. A goofy smile spread across Alexander's face, too. "I like you."

"And I -"

"Goodnight, Alexander." Angelica cast him one last smile before starting off for home. She glanced back at Alexander when she reached the end of the neighborhood. He was still watching her.

"Go home." She told him with a laugh. Alexander shook his head, also laughing, before opening the front door and walking into his house.

Angelica wrapped her coat tighter around her and quickened her pace, eager to avoid getting caught disobeying her punishment by Mrs. Schuyler. If anything was going to happen with Alexander, she needed to avoid being grounded again. Spending a night in a crowded room with Alexander and Eliza was nice in its own way, but if Alexander was going to get more than one kiss out of Angelica, he would have to take her somewhere else; even if it was just on the rooftop outside of his bedroom.

* * *

"You made it." Relief was written plain across Eliza's face when Angelica walked into her bedroom, having successfully made it past both Mr. Schuyler's den and Mrs. Schuyler's bedroom.

"I told you that I would." Angelica reminded her fondly. "You worry too much."

"Someone has to worry about you," Eliza countered. "Because you don't worry nearly enough." She tugged one of Angelica's curls. "Was it windy outside? Your hair is a mess."

"Just a little." Angelica frowned, trying to comb out tangles with her fingers. She winced at the pain.

"Come here. I'll braid your hair for you." Eliza rolled her eyes and pulled Angelica back into her room. Angelica willingly subjected herself to the treatment - Eliza liked taking care of people. There were worse things to enjoy.

As Angelica sat on the floor with Eliza sitting behind her, brushing and braiding her hair, Eliza was talking. "I heard that you and John went to the new Thai restaurant during study hall. Did you like it? I've heard mixed things."

"It was good." Angelica answered thoughtfully. "But I don't think that you would like it. It was pretty spicy."

"I don't like spicy foods very much," Eliza allowed pleasantly. "I'm glad that you and John enjoyed it, though. For a while, I was worried that you two might break up. You know how everyone at school talks."

Eliza refused to believe that Angelica was interested in anyone but John. Angelica didn't argue with her, because she liked the warped perception that Eliza had of her. She wished that she was the hero that Eliza thought her to be.

"You shouldn't believe everything that you hear." Angelica said weakly.

"I know." Eliza sounded reassured all the same. "But your friend Thomas had me worried for a little while. You wouldn't believe the things people say about him! And then everyone started to say that you and Alexander…and, well, he does seem to like you…"

"Alex?" Angelica pretended to be surprised. "He's a friend."

"Really?" There was an element of hope in Eliza's question that extended beyond sisterly concern. Angelica took her hair out of Eliza's hands and turned around to look at her curiously.

"Of course. Why?"

"Well," Eliza blushed a furious shade of red. "Have you ever met someone and just…known?"

"Known what?" Angelica asked, her stomach sinking.

"I can't explain it," Eliza shook her head. Her tone was now giddy. There was no longer any doubt in Angelica's mind: Eliza's crush on Alexander was not the innocent crush of a sophomore girl talking to a senior boy. She really thought she felt something for him. Whether or not she actually felt anything real no longer mattered. If Eliza wanted Alexander, Angelica knew that she would had no choice: Alexander would be Eliza's. "I just…every time I see him, I just get this feeling in my chest. I've just never met another boy like him!"

"He is very handsome," Angelica agreed, feeling like she might just throw up. "And very smart."

Eliza waved off Angelica's remarks. "I don't care about either of those things. I mean, he _is_ handsome, and he _does_ seem really smart, but he's just always so nice and polite. Have you listened to the way that he speaks to Mama? He doesn't even try to run away from her; he just talks to her like she's as pleasant as anyone!"

"Well, Eliza," Angelica frowned. "There might be a reason for that. He's an orphan, you know, so he doesn't really have the same connections that we do through Papa. Aaron Burr thinks that he might be trying to incorporate himself into the family to elevate his status."

"No." Eliza said firmly. "Alexander isn't like that."

"I don't know, Eliza." Angelica didn't enjoy the idea any more than Eliza did, but she felt obligated to protect her sister from Alexander's interests. It was fine if Alexander tried to use Angelica - Angelica was a big girl, she could handle herself - but Angelica would be damned if Alexander was going to use her little sister. Eliza was too trusting, too kind. She would never think to protect her heart from someone with less than pure intentions. "I think that he'll do what it takes to survive."

"I trust him." Eliza said stubbornly.

"Okay." Angelica said, accepting the inevitable with as much grace as was possible.

"So will you help me?" Eliza asked, settling onto the floor in front of Angelica. Her face was full of hope. She did not suspect that her question had the potential to break her sister's heart. "I don't know what to do; I've never felt this way about a boy before, and Alexander just seems so crazy about you…"

"Just be yourself, honey." Angelica replied, her voice unusually quiet. "And he'll have no choice but to love you."

"You really think so?" Eliza asked.

"I really do." Angelica answered, standing up and smiling down at Eliza. "But we should both get some sleep. We have big days ahead of us."

Angelica walked out of Eliza's room before she could say anything else to betray herself. She crossed the hall into her own room and locked the door behind her. She threw herself onto her bed and assured herself that it would be okay. She didn't even know Alexander that well. Cutting him off at this point wouldn't be so bad. She didn't even know his middle name. She didn't even know his favorite color. All she knew was that he was smart.

And handsome.

And funny.

And ambitious.

And he had a way of looking at Angelica that made her feel like coming home on Christmas Eve.

Okay, so maybe giving him up would be harder than she originally thought.

Just as Angelica was realizing the impossibility of the situation, her phone rang. Expecting it to be Jefferson, going off on some kind of insecure tangent, she retrieved it from her jacket pocket and looked down at it unoptimistically. It was Alexander.

"Hello?" She asked, her heart sinking down to her toes. The very last thing that she wanted was to talk to Alexander right now, knowing that he was now off-limits.

"Annie." Angelica could practically hear his smile.

"Hey." She tried her best to sound unaffected. Tears pricked her eyes.

"I just wanted to make sure you got home alright." He said.

"Yeah, I made it home just fine."

"Good." Alexander approved, his voice warm. "Goodnight, Annie."

"Goodnight, Alex." A few tears escaped Angelica's eyes as she hung up her phone.


	3. Chapter 3

Angelica was quiet as she drove herself and Eliza to school the next day. Eliza was quiet, too, but Eliza was usually pretty quiet. As Angelica pulled up into the parking lot, she was loathe to see that both Alexander and Jefferson were loitering around the parking lot. Alexander was talking to his friends, Laurens and Mulligan, while Jefferson skulked around with Madison and Aaron.

"There's Alexander." Eliza exclaimed, looking at Angelica with a terrified expression. Angelica's eyebrows furrowed.

"Is that scary?"

"Yes!" Eliza whispered, like Alexander could somehow hear them from outside of the car. "Angelica, I'm not you. I don't know how to talk to boys the way that you do. What do I say to him? Do I let him speak to me first? What if he doesn't talk to me?"

"Calm down, honey." Angelica said, sympathy grabbing hold of her heart. "Alex is a nice guy. If you talk to him, he'll be happy to talk to you. If you wait for him to talk to you, I don't know if he'll cross the parking lot - it looks like he's already in the middle of a conversation with his boyfriends - but he'll probably say hi during lunch or after school."

"So, you don't think that I should go talk to him?" Eliza asked uncertainly.

Angelica shrugged. "I wouldn't, but only because he's already talking to Laurens and Mulligan. I don't know if you've met them, but they're…different."

"Are his friends mean?" Eliza questioned.

Angelica shook her head. "No, they aren't mean. They're just hard to keep up with. I would wait until you know Alexander a little bit better before getting involved in a conversation with him and his friends."

Eliza nodded and climbed out of the passenger side of the car. Angelica followed suit, climbing out of the car and locking the door after her. She didn't know what to expect; she didn't know if Eliza would talk to Alexander, or if Alexander would talk to Eliza. She knew that she would try her best to avoid talking to Alexander. She was terrified that Alexander would mention their kiss in front of Eliza. She didn't know if Eliza would feel betrayed or guilty. Angelica had never known anyone quite like Eliza; had Eliza known that Angelica was in love with Alexander, she might have backed off immediately despite her feelings. But she might have also been upset that Angelica hadn't told her and had let her carry on about her feelings for Alexander.

Alexander looked over at them as they left the car and began to walk across the parking lot. He said something to Laurens with an amused smile before turning to look at them again. It looked like he was about to make his way across the parking lot towards them. Fortunately, Jefferson intervened.

"Angelica." He immediately abandoned Madison and Aaron to talk to Angelica. He also spared Eliza a polite smile. He had spent enough time with Angelica to know that acknowledging Eliza was non-negotiable. "Eliza. I heard that you got the lead in the school play. Congratulations."

"Thank you." Eliza blushed, but not out of admiration, as she did when Alexander spoke to her. She blushed because she did not like Jefferson. Angelica knew that and smiled at her apologetically. "Angelica, I'm going to class. I have practice after school today. Are you going to stay late, or is John going to walk me home?"

"I'll probably stay after." Angelica answered, not giving Jefferson time to make a snide comment about Church. "But check your phone after to make sure. One of us will definitely make sure you get home."

"Okay." Eliza nodded before walking off in the direction of the underclassmen classrooms. Jefferson glanced after her as she walked away before smiling at Angelica.

"She still doesn't like me, huh?" He asked. He didn't sound too concerned.

"No she does not." Angelica confirmed. "Apparently she's heard some terrible rumors about you."

"Really?" Jefferson raised his eyebrows, a devious smirk playing on his lips. "Are they juicy?"

"From the scandalized look on her face, I would say so."

"Mm. Then I hope at least some of them are true." Jefferson said with a laugh.

"Of course you do." Angelica rolled her eyes, starting for the school. She locked eyes with Alexander as she passed his gaggle of friends. He was watching Jefferson through narrowed eyes, his jaw muscles tensed. Angelica tried her best to ignore that.

"So, hey," Jefferson said as they walked into school together. "Are we okay? You didn't really answer my question last night."

They rounded the corner to homeroom, where Church was undoubtedly waiting. He might have turned a blind eye to the rumors he'd heard about Angelica and Jefferson throughout the school year, but walking into homeroom discussing their affair was excessive. Angelica took Church for granted, but not enough to behave quite that tactlessly.

Angelica stopped just four feet shy of homeroom. Jefferson glanced over in the direction of the door to homeroom and smiled at Angelica wryly. He obviously understood the reason that they were huddled beside lockers instead of proceeding into homeroom.

"I was walking Alexander home when you called me." Angelica didn't shy away from the truth. "He heard what you said."

"So?" Jefferson didn't care.

"So, why do you have to be such an asshole, Thomas?" Angelica demanded. "What is your problem with him?"

Jefferson looked her over, anger written plain across his face. "Clearly telling you would be a waste of time. You've made up your mind about where your loyalties lie."

"Why can't I like you both?" Angelica asked.

"Because," Jefferson lowered his voice to a venomous snarl. "We don't have anything in common; either of us. If you like me, you don't like him. If you like him, you don't like me."

"So you're making me choose?" Angelica asked incredulously. "You can't be serious. Since when have we had that kind of relationship?"

"I'm not -" Jefferson let out a loud, exasperated sigh. He looked down at the ground for a moment, collecting his thoughts. When he looked up at Angelica again, he didn't look angry. Just frustrated. "Just…stop trying to stand in between Hamilton and I. We're never going to be friends. I know you've got some twisted fantasy of every guy in the world acting like Church, playing nice and looking the other way when you add someone new to the harem, but it isn't like that. Not really. So if you want to take up with Hamilton, that's fine. But don't you dare think that what we have - and what you and Hamilton have - gives you the right to interfere with things that are between Hamilton and I."

"Is that all?" Angelica asked, her lip curving upwards into a smirk.

"That's all." Jefferson confirmed.

"Then I think we might just be able to make this work." Angelica decided.

"Good." Jefferson leaned closer, his posture making it clear to everyone in the hallway that he and Angelica Schuyler were once again on good terms. "Then how about I see if I can't coordinate a date for us this weekend?"

"I'm grounded." Angelica reminded him.

"I know," Jefferson agreed. "But your father loves me. I'm sure that if my father made plans to attend a football game, and just happened to invite your father and suggest you come along to keep me company…"

As Jefferson was speaking, Alexander and his friends walked past to homeroom. Angelica was caught off guard by his sudden appearance in the hallway. She couldn't look away in time to avoid the unreadable look he cast her.

"Maybe next time, Tom." Angelica touched his arm so as not to discourage him despite her words. "We should probably get to class."

She didn't stand around, waiting for him to agree. She turned on her heel and walked into homeroom after Alexander. Church was sitting in his usual seat, looking around the room with an amicable expression on his face. When he saw Angelica walk into the room, he smiled.

"Hey, you. I was beginning to worry about you." He said as Angelica sat down in the seat next to his.

"Here I am." Angelica's smile was forced.

"So," Church said, as though Angelica knew what he was going to say next. Angelica quirked an eyebrow at him. She did not know what he was going to say next.

"So…?" She asked.

"Did Eliza get the part?" He asked. God, he was so nice. The look on his face suggested a genuine interest in Angelica's little sister for no reason other than he liked Angelica's family. That everything important to her, he made important to himself. Angelica couldn't help but feel just a little bit guilty for the way that she treated him in return.

"She did." Angelica tried to make her smile more genuine. "She's so excited. But that means she's going to be staying later at school until the end of the semester."

"Do you want me to walk her home from school?" Church offered.

"Not tonight. I have to stay after school to work on my project with Alexander tonight, anyway. But I'm sure there'll be some nights when I need to get home and start homework. If you could walk her home those nights, you would be my hero."

"That's more than reason enough to walk her home." Church agreed with a laugh.

"Thank you." Angelica knew that she could never thank Church enough. Not only for the way that he treated Eliza, but also for everything else. For his exceptional tolerance of her and all of her bad behavior. For his understanding attitude towards her shortcomings. For the way that he smiled at her, no matter how she looked or who she was with.

"Of course, sweetheart." Church looked at her strangely, like he could not possibly understand why she would thank him.

The bell rang, blessedly excusing Angelica from having to explain her gratitude.

* * *

"So, hey." Angelica approached Alexander just before government class began. She was terrified that he might be angry with her; that he had seen her speaking with Jefferson and had assumed that she was exchanging mean comments about him with Jefferson. "Since Eliza is staying after to practice for the play, I'm going to be working on the government project in the library if you want to join me."

Alexander looked at Angelica in surprise. He didn't smile, but he didn't frown, either. It was impossible to tell how he felt. "The library? Yeah, okay."

"Are you -"

"Okay class!" The teacher walked in, effectively ending all chances to have a conversation. Angelica reluctantly got up from the seat next to Alexander and took her usual seat next to Jefferson. Jefferson smiled at her, clearly determined to accept her interaction with Alexander so long as she did not breach her part of their agreement.

As the teacher droned on about all of the civilizations that had previously tried democracy, Jefferson slipped Angelica a subtle note.

 _Hamilton got you down?_

Angelica glowered at him for a few seconds before scribbling down her answer.

 _I thought that we weren't going to talk about Alexander._

Jefferson smirked.

 _You didn't seriously believe that._

Angelica sighed.

 _And if I did?_

Jefferson chuckled. The teacher looked over at him. Jefferson disguised his laughter as a cough.

 _Then I think I may be wasting my time with you. I can find naïve girls just about anywhere._

Angelica stomped on Jefferson's foot from under the desk.

 _Such as the local preschool?_

It was a low blow, certainly, but Angelica could hardly resist such low-hanging fruit. Jefferson scowled, not bothering to disguise his reaction this time. The teacher wouldn't bother them. They were straight-A students. It was far more likely that the teacher would bother Lafayette, Laurens and Mulligan. They were always causing some kind of trouble.

 _Taking an insult out of Hamilton's book? Really, Angelica. I expected better from you. Losing your wit?_

Angelica chewed on the end of her pencil, deep in thought. The teacher looked at her and smiled, evidently pleased to see that she was taking the lecture so seriously. Little did he know, Angelica was just trying to come up with a better way of insulting Jefferson.

 _Then where would you like me to start?_

Jefferson smiled wryly.

 _How many insults do you have?_

Angelica smiled, too.

 _Too many for one sheet of paper and one class._

Jefferson considered this.

 _Then give me the cliff notes._

Angelica tapped her bottom lip with her pencil.

 _Must I? We were just getting along again. I thought we might enjoy a little bit more affection towards each other before we started for each other's throats again._

Jefferson glanced at Angelica, smiling.

 _You're right, of course. You have once again proven to be the more intelligent of our pair. Meet me on the third floor just outside of Mrs. Clark's classroom, ten minutes after the bell. I would be glad to show you a little bit more affection before starting for your throat._

Angelica rolled her eyes, just barely holding back a snort.

 _I'm meeting Alexander in the library to work on our project._

Jefferson's scowl returned.

 _So be late._

Angelica frowned, disappointed that Jefferson was already pouting again.

 _School comes first, Tom. We both know this. It's the only way I'm going to get a higher grade than you in this class._

Jefferson shook his head.

 _Still clinging on to the dream of being valedictorian? You do know that you'll be forced to fight against Hamilton, don't you?_

Angelica turned and winked at Jefferson.

 _Maybe you should take a moment to consider why I might suddenly be getting closer to Alexander, hm?_

A wide smile lit up Jefferson's face. Before Angelica could think better of her words, or maybe say something to downplay the comment as a joke, Jefferson folded up the note and stuck it in his pocket. Angelica's heart lurched.

"Give that here," She whispered, reaching out her hand expectantly.

Jefferson shook his head, still smiling.

"Thomas -"

"Ms. Schuyler," The teacher positioned himself in front of Angelica and Jefferson's joint desks. "Is there something that you would like to share with the class?"

Angelica glowered at Jefferson. Jefferson smiled at her innocently. "No."

"Then I suggest that you pay attention. This will be on your next exam." The teacher looked at her critically for a moment before continuing on with the lecture. Angelica slumped down in her chair while Jefferson pretended to take meticulous notes on the material.

* * *

"Are you sure that you won't meet me upstairs?" Jefferson asked quietly as the bell rang. He stuck his hand in his pocket, causing the stolen note to crinkle just loud enough for Angelica to hear. Angelica glared at him.

"Give me the note, Thomas." She said through gritted teeth.

"Just five minutes." Jefferson didn't seem to take her request seriously.

"Thomas." Angelica brought out the big guns: desperation. She allowed her eyes to grow wide with fear. Her mouth slanted down into a pout. Her posture slumped just enough to give off the appearance of a small, fragile girl in dire need of assistance. "Please."

Jefferson's resolve crumbled like a Nature Valley granola bar. "Fine."

He handed over the note reluctantly. Angelica checked to make sure it was the right one. Though she could often play Jefferson like a fiddle, he was a lot wilier than her other weekend boys. It would be just like him to give her the wrong piece of paper.

"Thank you, Tom." Angelica smiled at him with an over-the-top, extraordinarily affectionate smile. "I could just kiss you for this."

"Annie?" Alexander had chosen the worst possible moment to materialize behind Angelica. "Are you ready?"

Angelica turned around to look at Alexander, a blush creeping up on her cheeks. "Hey, Alex. Yeah, I think I'm all set. Do you want to work in the library?"

"Sure." Alexander sized Jefferson up. Jefferson looked back at Alexander, making no secret of his hatred. It was written all over his face. "So long as it's nice and quiet. I don't work well with distractions." His comment was clearly directed at Jefferson.

"Don't worry, Hamilton. I don't have to sit around a dusty library for attention from Angelica." Jefferson said snidely. "I don't need the excuse of homework to associate with the likes of the Schuyler family. Don't forget, Angelica: Football with my father and I on Saturday. My father will call yours."

"We'll see, Tom." Angelica smiled at him ironically, not wanting to give either of the boys the wrong idea. "Come on, Alex. Let's go to the library."

Alexander smirked at Jefferson as they walked by.

"What is the matter with you two?" Angelica asked, her voice playful. "Why can't you just kiss and make up?"

Alexander crooked a smile. "I don't want to talk about Jefferson with you. I know that you like him, for some reason or another."

"Really?" Angelica was surprised.

"Of course." Alexander shrugged. "I don't want to put you in the middle of anything."

Angelica smiled at him gratefully. Unlike Jefferson, Alexander was kind enough to avoid making Angelica choose between the two of them. In the days that she had known him, it had been clear that he would not push the subject of Jefferson. Perhaps that was why, were it not for Eliza, Angelica might have chosen Alexander.

"So," Angelica decided to change the subject before she grew any more attached to Alexander.

"Hey." Alexander interrupted her as she spoke. He realized his social blunder immediately. "Oh, I'm sorry. Go ahead."

"No." Angelica shook her head with a laugh. "I really don't have anything to say. I was just going to try to change the subject. If you have something of actual substance, you should go."

"Well," Alexander looked down at the ground bashfully. "I know that Jefferson already invited you to some football game on Saturday, but if you aren't busy that night, my foster dad is coming home and there'll be a party welcoming him home. I'd love it if you could stop by."

"Really?" Angelica asked, intrigued.

"Only if you want." Alexander confirmed. "I'm sure Martha would love to see you. She gets sort of lonely when George is away, so having a little bit of extra company on Friday night was a really big deal for her. Especially because you weren't the kind of company that she had to impress. And, of course, I want you there, too. I feel like we haven't spent nearly enough time together lately."

Angelica smiled against her will. "You know I'm still grounded."

"Right." Alexander smiled back. "And I know how important the rules are to you."

"Of course." Angelica smirked as they took their seats in the library. The librarians glared at them, but couldn't chastise them for talking just yet. They were the only ones in the library. They weren't disturbing anyone but the books.

"Well, I'm not a Jefferson, but I know that your father is on good terms with my foster dad, George. He's an important man in politics right now." Alexander lowered his voice anyway. "I'm sure that if the invitation were extended to your entire family, your parents would insist that you go."

"My father might invite the Jeffersons to go with us." Angelica reminded him dubiously.

Alexander shrugged. "Just as well. George likes the Jeffersons."

"But you don't."

"I can play nice with Thomas for one night."

"Can you?" Angelica didn't quite believe him.

"Maybe, if you're there to keep me sane."

Angelica wrinkled her nose. "Send an invitation to my parents. We'll see if I can even go. In the meantime, let's edit this paper."

* * *

Angelica and Alexander got so caught up in their project that Angelica didn't notice when Eliza texted her, alerting Angelica to the fact that play practice was over. In fact, Angelica hadn't looked at her phone since she had started talking to Alexander at the end of the school day. She was so completely enchanted by him; she couldn't bring herself to look away from his lavender eyes, to ignore his smooth voice, or to stop herself from making snarky remarks that she knew only he could come up with comebacks to. Not even a tornado could have drawn Angelica's attention away from Alexander Hamilton.

In fact, it took Alexander paying attention to something other than Angelica to get her to snap back to reality.

"Eliza," Alexander said, staring right at Angelica with a friendly smile. It wasn't the coy, flirtatious smile he usually used around her.

Angelica frowned. Had Alexander suddenly forgotten her name? Did he frequently mix them up? Or was this his way of telling Angelica that he preferred her sister's company?

"Hi," Eliza's voice came from behind Angelica. Angelica whipped around in her seat, dread and relief mixing together in her chest in the strangest way. Alexander was only being polite. But now Eliza was here. The small world that Alexander and Angelica had created for themselves grew much, much bigger in her presence. Angelica was forced to tone down her fascination with Alexander for the advancement of her sister. "I'm sorry to bother you both, practice was over and Angelica wasn't answering her phone."

"I'm so sorry." Angelica began to pack her bags immediately. "We just got caught up in the assignment. I'll be ready to go in just a minute."

"No, that's okay." Eliza assured her, taking a seat across the table from them. She smiled at Alexander shyly for a moment before looking down at their paper. "What is it that you're working on?"

"We're analyzing the efficiency of the government and how justifiable our current deficit is." Alexander answered. Angelica had been hoping that he would simplify the assignment, making it more difficult for Eliza to spark a conversation. She knew that she shouldn't have been hoping for that, but she was. Either way, he had not, and so Eliza kept talking.

"How interesting! What did you find?" Eliza scooted her chair closer to Alexander. Alexander didn't seem to notice. Angelica noticed.

"A lot, actually," Alexander looked down at the paper to better answer Eliza's question. "We found that the bulk of the deficit has to do with Congressional approval of a lot of plans and tests that aren't actually necessary."

"Really? Congress?" Eliza turned to look at Angelica like they were in on an inside joke. Their father was a senator. Angelica smiled back as much as she could. It looked like the grim smile worn by a prisoner on their execution day. "What sort of things are a waste of money?"

"Hmm…I don't know. Election day is coming up. I don't think I ought to tell you until after the members of congress have their positions secured." Alexander teased.

"But I can't vote!" Eliza protested.

"You can't? Hmm. I can. How about you, Annie? Will you be eighteen by election day?"

"I won't." Angelica answered, glancing at Eliza before smiling at Alexander. This was okay. This wasn't breaking any rules. She wasn't flirting with Alexander. She was just answering his question.

"Really?" Alexander sat up straighter in his seat. He leaned forward by his elbows. "Damned. We get to skip AP Gov if we walk in with an "I Voted" sticker the class after. A few of us were talking about going to a movie after we vote. When do you turn eighteen?"

"Are you trying to figure out my birthday?" Okay, maybe Angelica was flirting, but Eliza didn't seem to mind. As long as she kept her hands off of Alexander, that was good enough…wasn't it?

"I wasn't," Alexander responded with a toothy grin. "I was just trying to get you to come to the movies with us. But since we're on the topic, when is your birthday?"

"It's February 20th." Eliza chimed in. "And there's always snow."

Alexander glanced at Eliza before returning his focus on Angelica. "Awfully close to Valentine's Day. How does Church manage?"

Angelica smirked back at him. "He treats them as two separate days. Wouldn't you?"

"I don't think I would." Alexander answered thoughtfully. His tone was just as flirtatious as ever. Angelica spared a glance at Eliza. Eliza was still smiling at Alexander, apparently unbothered by the flirtation happening before her eyes. "I think that I'd be too tempted to turn it into a week-long event. Start with Valentine's Day, take you somewhere special. Keep on bringing you gifts, taking you everywhere you'd ever mentioned wanting to visit. End the week the morning after your birthday. I'd take you out to brunch and ask you what your favorite gift was, so I would have some idea of how to make the next year even better."

Angelica stared at Alexander, startled. He was such a flirt, so brainy - it had never occurred to Angelica that he might be a romantic. Her heart thumped against her ribcage. He was so wonderful and she was so in love. She couldn't help herself.

"Alex, that's -"

"Beautiful." Eliza interrupted. Angelica turned to look at her sister, her heart aching. Eliza's eyes were gleaming as she watched Alexander. The way that her jaw just barely hung open, the blush in her cheeks, and the breathless tone of voice - she was helpless. And as much as Angelica might have loved Alexander, she loved Eliza more. "Your girlfriend must be just crazy about you."

Alexander laughed. He was more experienced than Eliza was. "Ah, no. No girlfriend. Just a few prospects."

He looked at Angelica when he spoke.

"Really?" Eliza perked up. She didn't know that Alexander was flirting with her older sister. Angelica had to diffuse the situation before it became a problem.

She faked a yawn. "Honey, I'm tired. Why don't we head home? You don't mind, do you, Alex? We can finish our revisions during lunch tomorrow."

"Of course not. We put in good work today. Don't forget to ask your dad about Martha's party this weekend, alright?"

Eliza turned to look at Angelica. Angelica pretended not to notice as she spoke. "Alright. I'll see you later, Alex."

* * *

"Did you see the way he looked at me?" Eliza asked excitedly on the drive home. "I think he likes me - I really do! Did he invite the whole family to his mother's party this weekend? I would just love to go. Do you think that Mama would let us go? What should I wear? I want to wear something nice, but not too nice. I don't want him to think that I'm trying to impress him with looks only. I want to be able to talk with him the way that you do. It looks like you have so much fun when you talk to him."

"Mhm." Angelica pretended to be too preoccupied with driving to pay attention to her sister's words.

"Are you going to go to the movies with him on election day?" Eliza asked. "I wonder what movie he wants to see. Do you think he's one of those boys who loves action movies and explosions? Or do you think he might like romance movies? I think he might like romance movies. Did you hear him talking about what he would do for his girlfriend's birthday? Oh, I thought I would just melt!" Eliza kept chattering on. She never talked this much. It was growing impossible for Angelica to ignore her words, or the way that her heart kept sinking down lower and lower in her body.

"I can't go to the movies. I'm not old enough to vote yet." Angelica reminded her quietly.

"But you skip school all the time." Eliza reminded her with a playful smile.

"Not on election day." Angelica tried her best to smile. Eliza was joking around with her. She might read into Angelica's reservation if Angelica did not play along. "Papa would kill me. There's too much attention on our family on election day."

"Well, what about the party that Alexander was talking about? He said to talk to Papa about the party. Is Papa invited? Is the whole family invited? Who is Martha? Will Alexander be there? Is the party at his house? I would love to see where he lives. You've been to his house. What is it like? Is it lovely, like ours? Is his mother nice? I'll bet his mother is nice."

"You'll love Martha." Angelica said tightly. "She's just like you."

"Is that his mother?" Eliza shifted in her seat to get a better look at Angelica.

"She's his foster mother." Angelica answered. She knew she shouldn't have reminded Eliza about the fact that Alexander was an orphan. It was possible that she had forgotten that piece of information in the excitement of falling in love with Alexander. Eliza had a soft spot for abandoned creatures. She spent her time volunteering at orphanages and animal shelters. One year during Christmas, she brought home fifteen pitbulls because they were the only dogs remaining at the shelter and "they deserved to have a holiday, too." She spent her entire allowance taking small orphans to the movies after church every Sunday. If she didn't love Alexander yet, the knowledge that he was an orphan would surely push her over the edge.

"What happened to his parents?" Eliza asked, her eyes widening.

Angelica shrugged. "I'm not sure. He and I don't really talk about that kind of stuff. We just make jokes and talk about school."

"Maybe I should ask him." Eliza mused.

"Maybe." Angelica allowed as they pulled into the driveway of the Schuyler mansion.

"Thank you so much for helping me with Alexander," Eliza said, placing her delicate hand over Angelica's as she turned off the car. Angelica had no choice but to look Eliza in the eyes. "I've never felt this way about a boy before, and…I know you're going to think I'm ridiculous, but I really think this might be it. He might be the one for me."

Angelica forced herself to smile before jumping out of the car. From there, she hurried upstairs into her bedroom and shut the door before Eliza could even begin to suspect that Angelica was crying.

As if to make matters worse, Angelica looked down at her phone and realized that she had gotten a text from Alexander.

 _Did you make it home alright? I already miss you._

He sent it just two minutes after Angelica and Eliza had departed from the school.


	4. Chapter 4

"But Mama!" Eliza howled, tears spilling from her eyes. "Why can't I go?"

"I have been to a party hosted by General Washington before." Mrs. Schuyler answered firmly, shrugging on her coat. "It is no place for you, Eliza. There will be drinking and gambling. I don't want you getting caught up in that. Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on Peggy."

"But Angelica is going!" Eliza cried. "Couldn't I just stay with her? I promise I wouldn't cause any trouble. I just want to see Alexander!"

"Angelica is only going because the invitation was issued directly to her. It would be unforgivably rude to arrive without her." Mrs. Schuyler answered.

"But Mama." Eliza wasn't like Angelica. She wasn't angry. She was just heartbroken. She stared at Angelica pleadingly, silently begging for assistance. Angelica looked away, feeling just about as terrible as she ever had.

"That's enough, Elizabeth." Mrs. Schuyler commanded. "This is not up for discussion. You will stay here and watch Peggy."

Mr. Schuyler shepherded Angelica out the door while Mrs. Schuyler ticked off instructions for Eliza.

"Mama, you should have let her come," Angelica said on the car ride to Alexander's house, once it was impossible for Mrs. Schuyler to change her mind. She was hoping to dispel some of guilt built up on her stomach.

"Is she dating that Alexander boy?" Mrs. Schuyler asked.

"Not yet." Angelica answered, looking down at her shoes. "But she likes him."

There was no point in hiding that fact from Mrs. Schuyler. She would find out eventually. Eliza couldn't lie and Mrs. Schuyler somehow knew everything. Maybe that was why she looked at Angelica out of the corner of her eye, a small smirk playing on her lips.

"I thought you liked him."

"We're just friends, Mama." Angelica's tone was hardly convincing.

"Of course." Mrs. Schuyler crooned, turning to face the road again. "I don't know what I was thinking."

They pulled into the long driveway of the Washington mansion. There were valets standing around, taking keys from guests to park their cars. It was far more lavish than Angelica would have expected from Alexander or his household. She took a moment to wonder if she was underdressed.

Still, she abandoned the car along with her parents and made for the front door. There, they were greeted by Martha Washington herself.

"Angelica, I'm so glad you could make it. Alexander has been pacing the floors waiting for you." It was hard to hate Martha for proving Mrs. Schuyler's point even further. She was just a sweet woman. "Mr. Schuyler, I think George has been pacing the floor waiting for you. He's in the card room with Mr. Jefferson. I'm sure he would love your company. Mrs. Schuyler, always a pleasure."

Mr. Schuyler stepped into the mansion and immediately headed for the card room, leaving Angelica alone with Martha and Mrs. Schuyler. Martha was smiling excitedly; she apparently did not know Mrs. Schuyler well enough to know that she should have run away by now. Luckily, Angelica did know.

"If you'll excuse me, Martha," She put on her best smile. "I just have to get a better look at that cake. Is it supposed to be a hedgehog?"

Martha had set out a spread of refreshments across the room. Mrs. Schuyler had always taught Angelica to compliment the hostess' food the moment she was able to do so, and this was her golden opportunity. She was using her mother's etiquette rules to escape her clutches.

"Annie, you made it!" Alexander found Angelica the moment she left her mother's side. Angelica allowed Alexander to steal her away to the side of the room. She pretended not to notice her mother watching her. "I was starting to think that I invited Jefferson for nothing."

"Not nothing. This could have been your moment to realize that you're not so different after all. This could have been your new beginning as best friends." Angelica teased, following Alexander through the crowded halls of the mansion. She didn't know where they were going, but she didn't really care, either.

"Look at him." They stopped momentarily in one of the rooms. A bunch of teenaged boys were crowded around a pool table. Jefferson, Madison, and Aaron Burr were among the boys. Lafayette was entertaining Jefferson and Aaron while Madison, Laurens, and Mulligan watched them with clear disapproval. "Who wears a hoodie to a party?"

"Yeah…he is kind of a terrible dresser, isn't he?" Angelica couldn't help but laugh.

"How is he a vain douchebag and an underdressed hillbilly all in one?" Alexander continued. "I know that you like him, Annie, but really. Maybe you should get him a blazer or two for Christmas. Otherwise I might be tempted to send him one myself."

"Maybe you should. You've got better taste than me." Angelica suggested, unable to resist looking Alexander over with a smile.

While Jefferson was most certainly underdressed (as usual), Alexander was almost certainly the best dressed person at the party. He was sporting a dark blue velvet blazer that made his eyes look cobalt instead of lavender. He had on dark trousers that made his admittedly short legs look just a little bit longer. His shoes were dark enough to blend in without drawing much attention to himself. His hair was meticulously styled, as always, but his entire appearance gave off the idea that Alexander was naturally handsome and had put in the bare minimum attention to dress himself appropriately.

"Now I know that's not true at all." Alexander's eyes flicked over Angelica while she checked him out. "Besides, if I were put in charge of such a task, I might be tempted to sabotage my own efforts. If I must consider Jefferson an opponent, why would I give him the necessary equipment to destroy me? I don't want to make him more appealing to you."

"Maybe I like his hoodies." Angelica remarked playfully. "Maybe that's what I'm really into."

"Is that right?" Alexander asked with a grin.

Angelica shrugged. "Could be. It's anyone's guess."

"Well, Annie," Alexander ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the doorway. "You leave me guessing more than anyone else. I just can't figure you out. If you liked hoodies, I'd wear one. If you wanted me to give up Taco Bell, it would be gone."

Angelica wrinkled her nose. "That's too easy. If I told you what I wanted, I wouldn't have the fun of watching you try to figure that out. We would have so much free time on our hands. People like you and me, we don't do well with free time."

Alexander laughed. "Then what would you have me do?"

"Just enjoy this party with me." Angelica told him as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Stop worrying about the perfect formula to impress me or anyone else. You'll drive yourself crazy with that nonsense."

"As you wish." Alexander pretended to bow. "Where should we start - making fun of Burr's new haircut, or hiding Laurens' cigarettes in one of the coats in coat-check?"

"Cigarettes." Angelica decided. "Burr's hair is going to look bad for a while."

"Good call." Alexander agreed. "Okay, how are we going to do this? Laurens is attached at the hip to his cigarettes and I'm not a great thief."

Angelica thought about it. It was nice to be able to think about something tactical around Alexander. It was helpful. It was giving her something to focus on other than the darker shade of his eyes, or the way that he kept licking his lips.

"I'll take the cigarettes. You can be a distraction. Grab a drink or a piece of cake or something and then come back in here. Someone will ask you where I went. Turn around and pretend to look for me. While you're turning around, spill whatever it is you have on Thomas. Laurens won't be able to stop himself from turning around to make fun of him. That's when I'll get the cigarettes."

"You don't think the others will stop you?" Alexander asked dubiously.

"Madison will be running around trying to find something to wash off his jacket with. Burr might see, but he doesn't like Laurens, either. So he'll just let it happen. Hercules likes to think that he's the ultimate prankster, so he'll think it's funny and will let me get away with it. Lafayette is really the only one who might say anything. That's why you'll get him out of the way first. Enter the room and immediately tell Lafayette that Martha is looking for him. He'll run off and he won't be a problem anymore." Angelica explained as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Alexander shook his head, grinning. "Annie, you're a wonder."

"So, hop to. I'll go wait until I hear Thomas crying over the loss of a precious hoodie." Angelica quirked a smile at Alexander before guiding him out of the room.

"Yes ma'am." Alexander chuckled, parting ways with Angelica as they reached the hallway. Alexander walked in the direction of the buffet that Martha had laid out. Angelica hovered outside of the room where the boys were playing pool.

"Angelica Schuyler?" Abigail Adams, the wife of one of Mr. Schuyler's political colleagues, approached Angelica with a huge smile on her face. "Honey, how are you? I haven't seen you in years! Oh, you've gotten so big! What are you doing here?"

"At present?" Angelica poked her head into the room where the boys were playing pool before looking back at Abigail. "Alexander and I are plotting to steal John Laurens' cigarettes."

"Henry's son?" Abigail turned to look at Henry Laurens, the current Speaker of the House. "I didn't know that he smoked. He shouldn't smoke. Doesn't he know that it'll kill him?"

"We've told him as much." Angelica confirmed, feigning a grave attitude. She really didn't care about John Laurens. Not in the least. At present, he was nothing more than an instrument to have fun with Alexander. "But he just won't listen. So we're stealing them from him at every chance we get."

"A noble pursuit." Abigail seemed to see right through Angelica's lie. That was the great thing about Abigail, though. She might have been from stuffy New England, but she knew how to have fun from time to time. "Let me know if there's anything that I can do for you."

"Of course. Thank you, Mrs. Adams." Angelica smiled her most polite smile.

"Hey, Lafayette, I think Martha is looking for you." Angelica heard Alexander say in the other room. She smiled at Abigail one last time before ducking into the room. She was sure to stay low and unnoticed. Even Jefferson didn't see her as she crouched down behind an overstuffed chair just next to Laurens. She wondered if she should be insulted that one of her few boyfriends didn't notice when she walked into the room.

"What for?" Lafayette asked, concerned. He was the sweetest kid in school, hands down. The teachers all adored him. Girls flocked to him in droves. He wasn't devastatingly handsome like Alexander and Laurens, but he was so wonderfully kind and smart as a whip that it was difficult not to like him.

"Oh, uh, I don't know." Alexander was a crummy liar. "She just asked if I could send you over to her when you get the chance."

"Then I suppose I had better go. Laurens, do not move a single ball on the table. When I return, your allowance is mine." His French accent was still so thick. He had come to the States to study freshman year of high school and his accent had never lightened. Seeing as he was to return to France once he graduated, it likely never would.

"I wouldn't dream of it!" Laurens called after him, his tone unconvincing.

"Hey, Hamilton," Jefferson never failed to follow Angelica's expectations. "Where's Angelica? Wasn't she with you just a minute ago?"

"Huh?" Angelica watched Alexander whip around, dumping his large piece of cake - covered in white icing - all over Jefferson.

"What the hell, Hamilton!" Jefferson shrieked.

"Oh, no. Your nice hoodie." Alexander said, his tone monotonous. He was very clearly not sorry. Angelica did her best not to laugh as she crept nearer to Laurens. She could see a pack of Camel cigarettes jutting out from his back pocket.

Laurens and Hercules howled with laughter. Madison immediately scrambled around for napkins. Burr leaned against the pool table, watching the scene unfold with an amused smirk. Angelica crawled forward on her hands and knees. In a $2,000 dress that her father had bought her for the State of the Union dinner a few months earlier. Alexander glanced down at her and winked, a devious twinkle in his eyes.

While Laurens was wracked with laughter, Angelica managed to lean upwards and slip the pack of Camels from his back pocket. She smacked her head on the side of the chair as she tried to quickly hide herself once again. Alexander's eyes widened a little bit. Angelica clutched her head and crept behind the chair as quietly as she could manage.

"Don't believe this." Jefferson snarled, storming out of the room.

"Ah, Hammie, please tell me that you did that on purpose." Laurens laughed. "Did you see the look on his face? A $20 jacket and he acts like you've ruined a priceless family heirloom. What a jackass."

"I would never do something like that on purpose." Alexander's tone was no more convincing than it had been when Jefferson had been in the room.

"Could you maybe have been trying to impress Angelica Schuyler?" Hercules asked knowingly.

" _J'accuse_!" Laurens yelled, his tone full of laughter.

"Can't a guy spill some cake without being accused of trying to impress somebody?" Alexander asked jokingly.

"C'mon, buddy. You're among friends here. Is tonight going to be the night?" Laurens asked.

"The night for what?" Angelica asked, tucking Laurens' cigarettes in her purse before standing up and aiming a smirk at Laurens.

"What the hell?" Laurens turned to look at her, his eyes wide with surprise.

"The night for you to finally induct Alexander into your harem." Hercules didn't shy away from the question. He said it with enough of a smile that Angelica didn't mind so much. Had it been Laurens, she might've slugged him in the mouth.

"I didn't realize that he'd put in an application." Angelica turned to look at Alexander teasingly.

"Yes, you did." Alexander didn't even try to pretend that he wasn't trying everything in his power to become one of Angelica's weekend boys. "You're a terrible liar, Annie."

"Look who's talking." Angelica bit back.

Aaron looked from Alexander to Angelica, a knowing look taking hold of his handsome features. Angelica loathed that look. She had received that look enough for one lifetime. "Don't you both have enough on your plates as it is?"

Alexander looked over at Aaron, exasperated but not angry. "Which one do you want to be, Burr, the pot or the kettle?"

"But I'm not adding anyone else to the party." Aaron protested.

"Not for lack of effort." Angelica reminded him.

Aaron frowned, folding his arms across his chest. "Why am I suddenly becoming the one that's criticized? Angelica is the one with a long-term boyfriend she's still pretending to love. Alexander is the one who has fifteen dates in the next month, most of whom are underclassmen who have been in love with him for years."

"I'm still seventeen. It's not like I'm doing anything illegal." Alexander frowned.

"No, just immoral. You're preying on girls who don't know better instead of girls your own age." Aaron smirked. He had done exactly what he had wanted to do; put Alexander on the defensive.

"Since when do you care about Alexander's love life?" Angelica didn't like standing up for Alexander's romantic extracurriculars. She would've much preferred if Alexander moped after her and only her, like the rest of her weekend boys. But he didn't, and she had to pretend that was okay. "Are you jealous, Burr?"

"Of course I am. You like him. You don't like me. How could I not be jealous?" Aaron responded with a small smile. He knew better than to go up against Angelica. Not only did she outsmart him; she was infinitely more popular than he was. She could turn the social tides against him faster than he could blink.

Alexander sighed, cramming his hands in his pockets. "This is boring. You're boring, Burr. If you want Annie, do something about it. I certainly intend to. Annie, you want to go get some food and tell me more useless facts about the Wizard of Oz?"

Alexander's mention of the Wizard of Oz brought Eliza to the forefront of Angelica's mind. Eliza. Oh, poor Eliza. She was probably still at home crying over a missed opportunity to see Alexander. And here Angelica was, flirting with him like she was still planning on giving him a chance. She needed to isolate herself. She was misbehaving so badly. But he was so addictive; it was all too easy to say that she could control herself, that she could manage to be friends with Alexander without her feelings deepening.

"Okay," She said slowly. "I think I actually need to talk to you about something."

"It's the night." Laurens murmured to Hercules.

"Shut up." Angelica said as they exited the room.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Alexander asked as they navigated the halls of Mount Vernon, which was apparently the official title of the mansion.

Angelica frowned as they reached the buffet. She piled her plate high with breadsticks. To compensate for the amount of carbohydrates she was going to consume, she also added two baby carrots to her plate. Alexander took a finger sandwich and a few pieces of celery. He looked at Angelica's plate and smiled.

"I wanted to talk to you about Eliza."

"Okay." Alexander agreed, not knowing what was in store for him. "Let's go over here. There's some chairs here. Plus we have a good view of the party. Do you like people watching?"

Angelica smiled just a little bit. "I love people watching."

"Good." Alexander brought them over to the chairs. Angelica took a seat next to Alexander, thinking very carefully about the words she would say. "So, what'd you want to talk about Eliza for?"

"Well, I know that you haven't really talked to her a whole lot, but she's -"

"Oh my god." Alexander interrupted Angelica, laughing. "Look at Jefferson! He had to borrow one of George's shirts!"

Angelica turned to look in the direction that Alexander was looking. Sure enough, there was Jefferson sporting a shirt that was far nicer than his pants. The pants were still streaked with white frosting. The shirt was very obviously too big for Jefferson. He looked ridiculous.

"Oh, he's got to be mortified." Angelica put a hand over her mouth.

Jefferson didn't care too much about his clothes, but he did care about his social standing. He didn't just look like a jackass wearing George Washington's shirt around a party - he looked like a jackass wearing George Washington's shirt around Mount Vernon. Extremely important people were all around. People that he would interview with in just a few short years. People who knew the admissions board of all of the Ivy League schools. When wearing a hoodie, Jefferson was flying under the radar. He matched Washington's visiting stepson, Jack. When wearing a shirt that didn't fit and pants streaked with frosting, though, he was like a fish out of water.

"Yeah…my god. I'm sorry for interrupting you, what was it that you were saying about your sister?" Alexander returned his focus to Angelica.

"Nothing." Angelica said. She couldn't do it. Not yet. She wouldn't let herself betray her sister's trust any further; she wouldn't kiss him, she wouldn't go up to his room with him, she wouldn't tell him that she loved him. But she wasn't ready to give Alexander up. Not just yet. "Forget about it."

"Okay." Alexander didn't seem to think anything of it. "What do you think I should say about Burr's haircut on Monday morning?"

"Ugh, I don't know. Don't make me look at it again." Angelica pretended to cringe as Aaron walked into the main staging area.

Alexander laughed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I forgot to consider your delicate sensibilities before subjecting you to that. Would you like to watch Jack Custis try to carry on an intelligent conversation instead?"

"Oh, god, yes." Angelica grinned deviously.

Jack was a few years older than them; he had been a senior when Angelica was a freshman. They had been on the Mock Trial team together. He and Angelica had faced off against each other when competing for the position of the lead attorney. Angelica had wiped the floor with him.

"Look at him," Alexander jerked his head in Jack's direction. He was talking to a kid. Literally, a child. Angelica turned to look at Alexander inquisitively. Alexander smiled and explained. "That's John Quincy, John Adams' oldest son. Ten years old, and he's leagues ahead of Jack. Fluent in French, reads and writes like a dream, and does math at a high school level."

"Oh, god. It's like watching my dad cry." Angelica pretended to cringe as she watched Jack struggle to keep up with little John Quincy. "Oh, I just want to go help him."

"Do you really?" Alexander asked, turning to look at Angelica.

Angelica smiled sheepishly. "No, but for a moment, I felt like a better person for saying so."

"Aha." Alexander chuckled.

Angelica glanced around the party, looking for more to talk about with Alexander. She liked doing this; she liked being the one person that Alexander talked about everyone else with. She liked being on the inside. "What do you think about Madison's new girlfriend?"

Madison's girlfriend, Dolly, was currently trapped in a corner with Abigail and Martha. Her prospects for escaping seemed minimal. Madison was doing nothing to help. He was talking to Jefferson and his father, apparently too immersed in the conversation to even notice the pleading looks that Dolly was casting him.

"I think she's too good for him." Alexander answered, glancing at Angelica before settling his gaze on Dolly. "But I don't begrudge him for that. I sort of admire it. He knows that she's better than he is, but he doesn't stay away from her because of it. He just tries to be better for her."

"I thought you didn't like Madison." Angelica said, surprised by Alexander's lack of venom.

Alexander shook his head. "No, I don't like Jefferson. My only problem with Madison is that he believes Jefferson is right. And I don't guess I can even fault him for that, really. He's a good guy. Just a little bit of a follower."

"You used to be friends." Angelica suddenly remembered.

The ghost of a smile flashed on Alexander's face. "I never stopped being his friend."

"But he turned you in for academic dishonesty." Angelica reminded him.

She had only heard bits and pieces of the story, but it went something like this: Jefferson saw Alexander copying what he believed was someone else's homework. It was really an old document that Alexander was copying for private use. Jefferson brought Alexander in front of the student honor board. It was the first step in an academic dishonesty instance. First the honor board would determine if there was dishonesty. If and only if it was determined that there had been dishonesty, it would then reach the headmaster's desk. Alexander had been counting on his friend, James Madison, to know better than to accuse him of dishonesty. Jefferson had entered the picture, though, and convinced Madison to vote against Alexander. From that point forward, Alexander and Madison were no longer friends. Jefferson and Madison became inseparable.

"He didn't turn me in for dishonesty, Jefferson did. He just allowed himself to be convinced that I had committed an act of dishonesty." Alexander protested.

"You're defending him." Angelica said, amazed.

"I'm giving him the benefit of the truth." Alexander corrected her.

"So we can't talk about him?" Angelica asked, her mouth curving into a smirk.

"No, we can still talk about him." Alexander disagreed, also smiling. "What do you make of him and Jefferson?"

"What do you mean?" Angelica asked.

"They seem…pretty _close_. Think there's something there?"

"You think that because they're good friends, they're an item?"

"Sure."

"You and Laurens are good friends. Are you an item?"

"We have been."

Angelica raised her eyebrows. "You're gay?"

Alexander looked at her with an amused grin. "Are you really asking me that?"

"Well," Angelica bumbled. "I know that you date plenty of girls, but the fact that you dated Laurens is kind of damning evidence."

"Ever heard of this funny little thing kids are calling bisexuality?" Alexander asked, his tone playful.

"Really?" Angelica couldn't help but smile. Everything about Alexander was so unpredictable. He wasn't just another high school horn dog. Well, he was. But he was a horn dog to both girls and boys. It was equality at its finest.

"Really." Alexander confirmed easily enough. "I didn't know it would be such a talking point with you. I could have brought it up sooner."

"So what do you think about Jefferson?" Angelica leaned closer to him conspiratorially. She elbowed him playfully. "Would you or wouldn't you?"

Alexander wrinkled his nose. "Being bisexual doesn't make me devoid of taste. I didn't like Jefferson before you found out that I was bisexual. Why would I like him now?"

Angelica shook her head. "I don't mean as a person. He's an asshole. I know that. I just mean purely on physical appearance. What do you think? I just want to know if I have good taste or not."

"I don't know, Annie. It's hard to judge. I've thought he was an asshole for so long that I can't look at him objectively." Alexander responded. "Why do you care, anyway? Were you hoping that I could take him off of your hands for a minute while you were dealing with Church?"

"Not at all. I was just hoping that I could finally have someone to talk about guys with. That's Church's one imperfection. I can tell him just about everything, but I can't tell him that I love the way Thomas looks in his Mock Trial suit." Angelica joked.

"That's Church's only imperfection?" Alexander asked dubiously.

"Anyway," Angelica rolled her eyes. "What about everyone else here? Give me a rundown. A list of who you would do at this party."

"You."

"Who else?"

"No one else."

Angelica tried to glare at Alexander but couldn't resist smiling. "You're a shameless flirt."

"I know what I want." Alexander responded.

"No, you don't." Angelica's smile faltered.

"I don't think that's for you to say." Alexander argued.

Angelica smiled, just slightly. "Maybe not. But I can voice my opinion. And anyway, I don't think you're being completely honest with me. You're telling me that if you had a chance with the Honorable John Adams, you wouldn't hop right on that?"

Alexander laughed. And just like that, they were back on track.

They spent the entire party together. They stayed in their chairs and talked about just about everyone at the party. They compared stories about personal experiences with each other's friends. They threw food at Jack Custis when he wasn't looking. They rated everyone's clothes on a scale from 1 to 10. They laughed, they punched each other's shoulders, and they agreed to spend every party from this point forward judging everyone together.

When it was time for Angelica to go home, Alexander spent ten minutes begging her to stay. He then begged her to come along with the rest of the government class to the movies on election day. He begged her to spend more time with him. Angelica relented and agreed before running off to meet her parents just outside of the Mount Vernon mansion.

* * *

It was election day and Angelica was surprised to see Eliza standing out in the parking lot when she escaped government class with Alexander, Laurens, Hercules, Lafayette, Jefferson, Madison, and Burr.

"Eliza?" She glanced back at her friends before approaching her sister. Everyone else remained behind, watching her curiously. "What are you doing? You should be in class! You're going to -" She looked around the parking lot frantically. "What if the newspapers find out? Papa will kill you if you draw attention away from election day."

Eliza shook her head, a huge smile playing on her lips. "Mama wrote me a note, excusing me from class."

"Why did she do that?" Angelica had never known Mrs. Schuyler to allow her children to be excused from class without good cause.

"So that I could go to the movies with you and Alexander!" Eliza was beside herself with joy. "I told her how important it was to me, how much I liked him, and she let me go!"

"Mama is letting you miss school on election day?" Angelica asked dubiously. "Really?"

"Really." Eliza looked so happy that she might cry.

"Hey," Alexander chose that moment to mosey over, a friendly smile on his face. "Eliza. I didn't know that you were coming with us."

"I didn't either." Eliza beamed up at Alexander, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all. The more, the merrier." Alexander said. "So, uh, Annie, you and Eliza can go in your car. I'll just grab a ride with Laurens, Hercules, and Lafayette. Sounds like Jefferson, Madison, and Burr will be tagging along, too. Unfortunately."

"What about John?" Eliza turned around to look at Angelica in surprise.

"Church had practice after school, so he decided to just stay put." Angelica explained, a twinge of guilt wracking her stomach.

"Oh. Okay." Eliza was so trusting. "What movie are we seeing?"

"Does it matter?" Laurens tossed out with a devilish smile.

Angelica rolled her eyes. "We haven't decided yet. Come on, Eliza. You'll ride with me."

Eliza spent the entire car ride talking about Alexander. She started with how handsome he looked that particular day. Alexander always looked handsome. Then she moved on to the friendly smile he had afforded her when he noticed that she was tagging along. She was so fascinated by his friendliness. She was amazed that someone like Alexander, an orphan, could have such impeccable social skills. She confided that she hoped to get time with Alexander - one on one - at some point during the afternoon.

When they got to the movies, Angelica wasn't too surprised to hear that the boys had decided what movie they wanted to see - some horror movie with terrible reviews. Angelica was forced to sit between Jefferson and Alexander. Eliza sat on the other side of Alexander, making nervous conversation before the movie started. Angelica pretended not to notice the looks that Jefferson and Burr began casting her when they caught on to the fact that Eliza was hopelessly in love with Alexander.

The movie started and it soon became clear that it was neither Angelica nor Eliza's cup of tea. It was violent. It was graphic. It was incredibly gory. Within the first ten minutes, Angelica had counted six organs appearing onscreen.

" _Whoa-ly shit_!" Alexander whispered about thirty minutes into the movie. Angelica looked over and was horrified to realize that Eliza had fainted.

"Oh my god." She murmured, leaping out of her seat and kneeling in front of Eliza. She rubbed ice cubes from Alexander's soda on the back of Eliza's neck. Within seconds, Eliza's eyes fluttered open. She looked like Sleeping Beauty.

"Angie?" She asked groggily.

"Oh, honey." Angelica whispered, laughing with relief. "We'd better get you out of this movie. I think that it's just a little bit too much for you."

"I'll take her." Alexander offered. "I chose the movie, it's my fault. You shouldn't have to miss it because I didn't think to ask Eliza if she would be okay with violence."

"Alex, you don't have to -"

"Angelica." Eliza interrupted her. She smiled bashfully. "It's okay. You should enjoy your movie. Really."

Angelica lowered her eyes and nodded her head. Right. Eliza wanted to be alone with Alexander. This was a golden opportunity presenting itself. Eliza, the damsel in distress. Alexander, the knight in shining armor. It was like a perfect fairy tale. Angelica, the witch-like sister, would only tarnish the story if she intervened now. She had no choice but to stand back and watch her sister win the boy.

"Okay," The words tasted like dirt in Angelica's mouth. "But Alex, you better come and get me if it happens again. I'm holding you responsible for my little sister's health."

Alexander grinned. "You got it. C'mon, Eliza. Let's get you something to eat."

* * *

The movie felt like it lasted forever. Jefferson kept trying to put his arm around Angelica's shoulders. Angelica was tense, she didn't want any sort of physical contact. She just wanted to run out of the movie theater and see what Alexander and Eliza were doing. She wanted to know what they were talking about. She wanted to know whether Alexander was in love with Eliza yet.

As the credits rolled, Hercules and Laurens talked about reuniting with Alexander. Angelica inched closer to them. She had never really gotten along with either of the boys, but she needed to find Alexander and Eliza. She didn't want to text Eliza, because she didn't want to act like she was trying to encroach on her little sister's impromptu date, but she absolutely wanted to encroach on her little sister's impromptu date.

"Huh." Laurens looked down at her phone, an amused smile playing on his thin lips. "Okay. Hammie says that he and little Schuyler are having lunch, and that he'll just meet up with us later."

"Her name is Eliza." Angelica reminded him irritably.

Laurens turned to look at Angelica, not seeming to repentant. "Yeah, okay."

"Angelica." Jefferson tapped Angelica's elbow, drawing her attention away from Alexander's friends. "We're going to grab something to eat. You want to come with us?"

"I don't know…" It made more sense for Angelica to go along with her friends, but if she tagged along with Alexander's friends, she had a better chance of finding Alexander and Eliza.

Lafayette seemed to realize Angelica's dilemma and, being the kind boy that he was, immediately sought out a solution. "Thomas, would you mind if we went with you? I am not familiar with the restaurants in the area."

"It's a mall." Jefferson reminded him. "You just walk around until something looks good."

Lafayette just stared at him, waiting for a more definite answer.

"Fine." Jefferson sighed. "Anyone who wants to eat can come along. Angelica, are you coming or not?"

"Sure." Angelica smiled at Lafayette before following Jefferson and his company out of the theater. Laurens and Hercules reluctantly tagged along.

"So, what's everyone feeling? Italian? Burgers? Taco Bell?" Jefferson asked, glancing back at the gaggle of teenagers following behind him as they walked through the mall.

"Not Taco Bell." Angelica said firmly.

"Burgers make me sick." Madison contributed.

"We just had pizza for lunch." Laurens complained.

"What about this place?" Lafayette pointed towards Noodles & Co. Angelica wouldn't have cared about the suggestion, if she hadn't followed Lafayette's stare. Through the glass walls of the restaurant, she could see Alexander and Eliza sitting at a table. Alexander's jacket was draped over Eliza's delicate shoulders. There was a plate of breadsticks between them. They were sharing food. Alexander was looking at Eliza like she was the cure for cancer; like she was something he had to memorize before she disappeared. And Eliza, well, it looked like her eyes were cartoon hearts. She was so in love that Angelica couldn't help but feel happy for her, even if it was at her own expense.

"Ha-hey, there he is!" Laurens thought nothing about walking into the restaurant and stealing Alexander's attention away from Eliza. Everybody else shuffled into the restaurant after him. Alexander smiled at everyone, but looked back at Eliza every few seconds. Eliza didn't look away from Alexander. Angelica wasn't sure that she had even noticed everyone entering the restaurant.

Laurens took a seat in the booth behind Alexander and Eliza's table. There wasn't enough room for anyone else at Alexander and Eliza's table. The rest of the herd followed suit and sat at Laurens' booth. Angelica paused at Alexander and Eliza's table.

"Is she…" She glanced at Alexander before focusing her attention on Eliza. "How are you feeling, honey?"

"Good. Really." Eliza was practically glowing. "Much better than before."

"Good." Angelica smiled back at her. She glanced at Alexander. "Thank you for taking care of her."

Alexander hardly looked away from Eliza as he spoke. "It was my pleasure."

"Okay." Angelica forced herself to smile before slinking away to joining Laurens and the rest of the non-Alexander crew.

* * *

Alexander remained at Eliza's side for the duration of the afternoon. As they walked through the mall, he kept himself beside her. He frequently asked her if she was okay. When he wasn't asking if she was okay, he was creating comfortable conversation between the two. They were talking about childhood pets. Angelica may have been eavesdropping.

When they all agreed that it was time to go home, Eliza bounced over to Angelica's side and asked her if they could give Alexander a ride home. Alexander smiled at Angelica like nothing had changed between them. With a heart halfway to breaking, Angelica said that yes, they could give Alexander a ride home.

The car ride was no better. Alexander insisted that Eliza ride up front with Angelica, despite Eliza's numerous offers to ride in the back with Alexander. Alexander just poked his head and carried on a pleasant conversation with them both.

"Angelica, do you like dogs?" Alexander looked at Angelica like he had always looked at her; like she was the only person in the world who could possibly understand his words. He looked at Eliza differently. He looked at Eliza like she was a piece of art that he couldn't get enough of. Angelica was Alexander's equal. Eliza was Alexander's God.

"I do." Angelica answered, trying her very best not to look at Alexander.

"She helped me hide a dog from Mama for two weeks." Eliza, meanwhile, could not resist looking at Alexander.

"Does your mother not like dogs?" Alexander seemed surprised that cold Mrs. Schuyler did not like animals.

Eliza, respecting their mother infinitely more than Angelica, just smiled and shrugged her slender shoulders (which, Angelica noticed, were still covered by Alexander's jacket). "Mama likes order. She dislikes the chaos that animals bring into the household."

"Didn't four children bring equal chaos into the Schuyler residence?" Alexander teased.

"Some of us still do." Angelica joked. "But Eliza tries to round us up and keep us in line when Mama isn't looking."

"I can see that." Alexander grinned at Eliza playfully.

"Oh, I don't think that anyone could keep you in line, Angelica." Eliza smiled at Angelica, unaware of what she was doing to her poor sister's heart.

"Yeah, I can see that, too." Alexander turned to look at Angelica.

Angelica just wanted to throw Alexander out of the car, drive home, and sit in her room by herself for a few hours. Having to share Alexander with Eliza was torture; especially when Alexander was treating Eliza as though she mattered to him just as much as Angelica did. Angelica wanted to be special. She wanted to be the only one that Alexander wanted to talk about.

"Well," Blessedly, they were finally at Mount Vernon. "Here we are."

"You live here?" Eliza had never seen Mount Vernon before. She was suitably impressed.

"I do." Alexander responded. "Would you like to come in?"

"I -"

"I really need to get home and start my homework." Angelica cut Eliza off, looking at her sister apologetically.

In reality, she just couldn't stand it anymore. She could handle giving up Alexander for Eliza. She could survive the loss of Alexander. She might even grow to be okay with it. She could not, however, watch Alexander fall in love with Eliza and out of love with her. That was too much for any human being to withstand.

"Oh." Eliza's face fell. "Oh, okay. I'm sorry. I guess you do get an awful lot of homework. Maybe some other time?"

"Definitely." Alexander agreed with a kind smile. "I'm glad you could make it today - both of you. Annie, I'll see you in class tomorrow. Betsey, I'll try reading Wizard of Oz. Maybe you're right; maybe it will resonate more with me if it's in words. Have a good night, my two dear brunettes."

He winked at them both before exiting the car and walking up the walkway to the mansion.

"He calls me Betsey." Eliza told Angelica as she began to drive in the direction of the Schuyler mansion. Angelica glanced at Eliza. Eliza's face was flushed and her smile was huge.

"Alexander likes nicknames." Angelica said, trying to downplay the situation.

Eliza nodded. Her happiness did not diminish. She just sat there, grinning to herself like someone who was truly and deeply in love.

* * *

 **OKAY GUYS. HERE IS THE DEAL.**

 **Some of you are like VERY into Hamgelica. Some of you are VERY into Hamliza. I also like both, but I faced a difficult situation in choosing one over the other, so that's not what I'm going to do. You're going to get Hamgelica AND Hamliza. The story takes a turn in the next chapter, but there will be two versions, kind of like a "choose your own adventure." The first Hamliza-based version will appear on top. The second Hamgelica-based version will be on the bottom, entitled "Rewind" to show you what would have happened if Angelica had just told Alexander how she felt. We'll all get our preferred ship.**

 **Also, I started a forum! It's called "Them Ruffians" and if you want a place to talk about Hamilton, I'll be around. Just type in "Them Ruffians" in the search bar and you'll most likely find me. If not, send me a message and I'll be happy to send you a link!**

 **Hope you're enjoying this angsty mess so far!**


	5. Chapter 5

Alexander moved fast. He began staying after school to watch Eliza's play practice. Sometimes Angelica stayed with him. Sometimes they worked on homework together. When Eliza was occupied and it was just Angelica and Alexander, it was exactly like old times. He flirted. He teased. He asked Angelica to marry him. But when Eliza was with them, he distributed his flirtatious comments evenly. Eliza received just as much flattery as Angelica did. And damn if that didn't drive Angelica crazy.

As the spring semester rolled around, there would be two events that would decide the fate of Alexander and Eliza's potential relationship. The first was the senior class trip to Philadelphia. The top 5% of the class had been lumped into a group together; they were given the "honor" of a premium tour of historic Philly. Included in the top 5% were Angelica, Jefferson, Madison, Burr, and, of course, Alexander. They would be staying in a historic residence together. They would be spending a week together, walking around cobbled streets and market places. Angelica would have to resist Alexander for an entire week. If she didn't, it would break Eliza's heart.

The second event was Eliza's birthday dinner. Mr. and Mrs. Schuyler always gave Eliza $500 to take her friends out for a nice dinner on her birthday. Alexander had already agreed to go. Eliza had confided to Angelica that she would invite Alexander to the annual party as her date. Alexander would almost certainly say yes. Eliza was gorgeous and Angelica would have to be stupid not to know that Alexander did like Eliza. If Angelica could remain aloof throughout the Philly trip, Eliza would ask Alexander to a party as her date. Alexander would say yes. The future of their relationship would then be determined by how the party went.

But first, Angelica had to survive the Philadelphia trip.

"Are you sure that your boyfriend doesn't mind you staying in a rickety old house with a bunch of guys?" Alexander teased during the bus ride.

That's right, they were even taking a separate bus. It was like the school was worried that stupid might be contagious. Or, more likely, they realized that it made no sense for the bus driver to take the bulk of the students to their Marriot hotel before taking five special students to an old house in historic Philadelphia.

"Why on Earth would he mind that?" Angelica asked, rolling her eyes.

"Well," Alexander climbed over the back of Angelica's seat, plopping down next to her. "You're already hooking up with one of the guys." He nodded to Jefferson, who had fallen asleep at some point during the bus ride. "And you have the potential to hook up with another one." His smile suggested that he was talking about himself. Oh, boy, was this going to be a long week.

"I don't think he needs to worry about that." Angelica said with a smirk.

"Mmm, I don't know. Philadelphia is an awfully romantic place. Cobblestone streets, the vague history of slavery, the printing press…" Alexander glanced out the window before smiling at Angelica. "You might succumb to your baser instincts."

"Well, that's alright. Thomas is there."

"He might be indisposed." Alexander suggested.

"Then I'll find myself a hot little Quaker." Angelica bit back.

Alexander laughed, shaking his head. "I wish I didn't believe you."

"I wish you would both shut up." Jefferson grumbled. Apparently, he wasn't all the way asleep just yet.

"Someone's cranky." Angelica said with a smile.

"Ugh." Jefferson lifted his head and turned to look at Angelica groggily. There were bags under his eyes. "How do you both have some much energy? We left at five in the morning."

"Don't you drink coffee?" Alexander asked, leaning over Angelica to get a better look at Jefferson.

"It gives me a stomach ache." Jefferson grumbled, shifting in his seat so his head was nearer the window and his rear end was facing Angelica and Alexander. Angelica and Alexander exchanged amused looks before continuing their conversation.

"Have we found time to make fun of Burr's hair yet?" Alexander asked.

"My hair?" Burr asked, turning around to look at them. He looked offended. Alexander smiled back at him. Angelica bit her lip and turned to look out the window. "What's wrong with my hair?"

"Oh, Burr," Angelica couldn't help but laugh. "We've been meaning to make fun of it for _months_. I can't believe you've been getting the same haircut multiple times. Hasn't someone else gotten around to making fun of it?"

"Well, what's wrong with it?" Burr demanded.

"You look like an angry hawk." Alexander said.

"I don't know if the hawk is _angry_ …maybe it's just excited. Oh!" Angelica slapped Alexander's shoulder like she had just come up with a genius thought. Both Alexander and Madison were laughing as she spoke. "Maybe it's mating season for the hawk! Maybe it's just fluffing up its wings to impress a lady love!"

"I hate you guys." Burr sulked, slumping down in his seat.

"Hate is a big word, Burr." Alexander teased.

"It's a big feeling." Burr grumbled, glaring back at them.

"Aww, are you regretting coming to Philadelphia with us?" Angelica laughed.

Aaron cast them a dirty look. "Immensely."

* * *

Their residence was a rickety old house without a chaperone. Apparently, the school thought that good grades equated to maturity. After the 5% was through with the trip, the school would surely rethink this policy. Their first act as teenagers on the loose was to lay claim to their rooms and unpack their bags. Angelica got the best room. The boys were left to squabble over the lesser rooms. Once they unpacked, they convened in the living room area to determine what they would do next.

"Why don't we go back to the hotel and see what everyone else is doing?" Madison suggested. Everyone looked at him, frowning. That was very obviously not what they were going to do.

"Because everyone else is doing what the chaperones are telling them to do." Angelica explained it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "They gave us the opportunity to spent a week in the city without any adult supervision. It's one of the perks of being miserable studying for every test since day one. Besides, if we go to the hotel, we'll probably sit around and wait for the chaperones to decide that we can go to dinner. We should make use of our time here. We should explore. See the sights, meet the people -"

"Does everyone have fakes?" Burr asked with a devious grin.

"See, even Burr understands!" Angelica said excitedly. "That's a great idea."

"It _would_ be a great idea…" Madison murmured, looking away guiltily.

Angelica's shoulders slumped. "Don't tell me that you don't have a fake."

"Actually," Alexander interjected with an apologetic smile. "I don't, either."

"What?" Angelica whipped around, unable to believe that Alexander Hamilton, of all people, didn't have a fake ID. He was one of the school's biggest trouble-maker. Besides that, Angelica had heard a number of stories in which Alexander had gone to the bar with Laurens and Hercules and met inappropriately older women. "Yes, you do. You go to the bar with Laurens all the time."

"Sure, I _go_. I just don't drink. I can't have that kind of stupid charge on my record. Even if George and Martha let me live long enough to apply to college, Columbia would never let me in. Anyway, the bars'll let us in without IDs, they'll just put an "x" on our hands and we can't drink. It's not a big deal." Alexander explained, offering Madison a surprisingly understanding smile. Madison nodded, not smiling.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Jefferson asked with a grin.

"We are waiting for me to take a shower." Angelica answered firmly. "We just spent hours on a bus. I'm not going anywhere until I shower. Besides, it's only three o'clock. If we go now, it'll be us and a herd of alcoholics. That's a little scummy."

Jefferson's grin fell. He glanced down at his clothes - a hoodie and jeans, as always - and grimaced. "Oh. Right. Yeah, that's probably the right call. How about we reconvene at five and head out?"

Everyone murmured their agreements. Jefferson and Madison scurried off to find suitable clothes for going to the bar (if Jefferson even owned suitable clothes, that was). Burr left the house in search of a barber shop, insisting that he have his haircut corrected before he went to the bar. Angelica was about to go find whatever hanging faucet qualified as a shower in the rickety old house when Alexander suddenly grabbed her wrist. She turned around, surprised.

"What are you wearing tonight?" He asked, looking her over carefully. Angelica couldn't tell if he was teasing her or not. Consequently, she quirked a small smile and removed Alexander's hand from her wrist.

"I guess you'll just have to find out tonight."

"Okay," Alexander let his arm fall back to his side limply. "But let me know if you need help picking something out. I'd be happy to watch you model a few outfits."

Angelica rolled her eyes. Now Alexander was most certainly teasing her. "I don't think you're the only one who would want that kind of input."

"Really?" Alexander looked around the otherwise empty living room, an amused grin playing on his lips. "You think Madison has that kind of interest in fashion?"

Angelica shook her head. Madison was the only boy in the house who wasn't constantly bothering her. "Go get dressed, Alex."

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

Angelica looked Alexander over critically, turning the tables on him. He actually looked very good, but it wouldn't do to tell him so. Alexander was already vain as it was. "You've been on a bus for hours. You smell."

"You're right. I should probably shower."

"I'm going to be using the shower."

"I've always been very good at sharing."

"No." Angelica laughed, pushing Alexander back a step or two. "You can wait your turn. Maybe help Jefferson pick out something nice to wear tonight. I know how it bothers you when somebody is underdressed."

"Hm." Alexander kept on smirking. "Alright. But you let me know if you have any trouble picking out your outfit. Or working the shower. Or if you just miss me and realize that you cannot spend a single moment without my presence."

Angelica let out a short laugh before turning on her heel and walking off in the direction of the shower.

* * *

They had let Burr pick the bar. That was their first mistake.

Burr had assured them all that he had scoped out the perfect bar while out getting his new haircut (which, by the way, didn't look any better than the original one had). When they arrived, they were horrified to realize that Burr had chosen a bar that was currently hosting country music karaoke. When everyone turned to look at Burr angrily, he shrank back against the wall coated with posters of Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. The skull atop the wall wobbled as Burr's back hit the wall.

"I didn't know it was like this!" Burr explained apologetically. "It seemed normal from the outside! And the women that came in here were…"

"What women, Burr?" Alexander asked irritably. He gestured around the bar. It was filled with 50-60 year-old men wearing cowboy boots and obscenely large belt buckles.

"There _were_ women in here earlier!" Burr insisted.

"Oh, are yew fellas lookin' fer the ladies?" One of the older men had overheard them. He smiled at them like they were missing out on some huge inside joke. "Nah, they don' come here past three. It's some kinda girly music playin' at those hours. Madonna, or sommin' like."

Alexander turned to look at Burr, his expression murderous.

"But you'll like this crowd jest fine." The man continued, not seeming to notice that everyone was about to clobber the one person who had selected the bar. "Much better than the other places you're gon' find are here. No cover fee. Jest some good ole fashion music and some good ole fashion drankin'."

"There are covers at the other bars?" Jefferson asked in disbelief. "Do bars still _have_ covers? I thought that those only existed in the eighties."

"This isn't New York, Tom." Angelica reminded him, folding her arms across her chest and folding her arms. "We might as well grab a booth and settle in here. Unless you guys have twenty bucks each that you're dying to spend on a cover fee."

"I could kill you, Burr." Alexander grumbled as they moved in the direction of one of the (many) available booths. The table was sticky. The leather was worn and contained many holes. It was not a cutting edge venue.

"Hey, at least I chose a bar that doesn't have a cover!"

"Can I get you somethin', darlin'?" The bartender had approached the booth. Seeing as there was a grand total of maybe 7 men (a liberal estimate), she didn't seem to have a whole lot to do. She smiled extra wide at Alexander. Angelica noticed.

"Can I have a tequila shot, please?" Angelica asked, drawing the bartender's attention away from Alexander for just a split second. Angelica cast Burr a dirty look. "I don't want to remember tonight."

"Sure thang, honey." The bartender agreed, jotting down Angelica's order on a notepad. "And for the rest of you fellas?"

They all exchanged wide stares.

 _Wait_.

She hadn't carded Angelica.

 _She. Hadn't. Carded. Angelica._

"Scotch. On the rocks." Jefferson ventured, lowering his voice in an attempt to sound older. If under-aged drinks hadn't been on the line, Angelica would have rolled her eyes. Instead, she tried her best to look as nonchalant as possible.

"You got it." The bartender either didn't notice or didn't care how stupid Jefferson sounded. She turned to Madison. "And for you?"

"A Manhattan." Madison said, his voice squeaky.

Angelica couldn't help herself from shooting Madison a funny look. A _Manhattan_? _Really_?

"Oh, honey. We don't have all that martini, lime juice, vegan kale stuff here." The bartender somehow managed to sound condescending when saying that.

"He'll take a gin and tonic." Angelica said, casting the bartender an apologetic smirk. "Sorry. He doesn't get out very much."

"Gin and tonic, sounds good." The bartender smiled at Angelica conspiratorially. She then looked at Burr. "And you?"

"An old fashioned."

"Want the orange in the glass?"

"Uh," It was obvious that Burr had never ordered an old fashioned before. "Yes?"

"Alrighty then." The bartender smiled. She turned to Alexander. She had very obviously been saving him for last. Her smile grew ten times friendlier. "And for you, sugar?"

"Yeungling, please." Alexander was by far the most casual of the five of them. He didn't even look up from the menu in front of him.

"Anything you want, honey." The bartender said. Remaining the most impressive actor of the group, Alexander finally looked up from the menu. He cast the bartender a polite smile, like he was just humoring her. He looked at her nametag before speaking. "Thanks, uh, Deb."

The bartender - Deb - beamed before walking over to the bar. It was then that the group of five dissolved into disbelieving laughter.

"Burr, maybe you didn't screw up too bad." Jefferson laughed.

"See? What did I tell you?" Burr grinned from ear to ear. "I know how to choose a bar!"

They quieted their laughter as Deb returned with their drinks. Angelica downed her shot in one gulp. She might have been showing off for Alexander. Jefferson took a long sip of his scotch on the rocks and pretended to like it, because he knew that such a drink was considered "manly." Burr took one teeny, tiny sip of his old fashion and began coughing heavily. In a wheezy tone, he told the table that it was the most disgusting drink he had ever tasted in his life. After seeing Jefferson and Burr's obvious disgust with their choices, Madison took a tentative sip of his gin and tonic. When the taste finally settled on his tongue, he looked at Angelica, his smile wide and his eyes bright. He exclaimed that it tasted just like Sprite. He then took a massive gulp, apparently thrilled that his first drink was a good one. Alexander just watched them all with a lazy grin, taking an occasional sip of his beer as he did so. He really was too good at pretending that drinking was a normal activity for him.

"Well," Jefferson sighed, leaning back against the booth and looking around the bar. "If this is the only place that'll serve us without IDs, we might as well make ourselves comfortable. Jemmie, you up for a game of pool?"

Madison gulped down the rest of his gin and tonic before nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yeah, sure. Let me just get another drink."

"I'll go with you." Burr said. "I think I'll go back to my drink of choice."

"Wine coolers?" Alexander teased.

"No." Burr huffed.

"Peach Schnapps." Angelica corrected Alexander, winking at Burr.

Burr glared at them for a moment before storming off. Mostly so he wouldn't have to admit that Angelica was right; Peach Schnapps really was his drink of choice. Jefferson and Madison followed after him. Now left alone, Alexander turned to smile at Angelica.

"So you like tequila." He said, glancing at Angelica's empty shot glass.

"So you like beer." Angelica shot back. Alexander smiled before taking another long sip of his beer. Angelica watched as his Adams Apple bobbed at the motion. She knew that she shouldn't have been admiring the way Alexander drank beer, of all things, but she could hardly help it. When it came to Alexander, she was helpless.

"I think I'm going to see if there's anything on that jukebox that isn't country." Angelica decided, suddenly very desperate to get away from Alexander before she gave herself away. Alexander raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't protest as she got up and walked across the bar towards the jukebox. She was forced to stand behind one of the older patrons while he sifted through the rather large catalogue of Johnny Cash songs.

While waiting, yet another twangy country song emerged from the speakers surrounding the bar. Angelica sighed and dropped her hands - previously folded across her chest - to her side. The moment her right hand was down, it was picked up yet again. Alexander had grabbed Angelica by the hand and waist, and, next thing she knew, she was going through the familiar dance steps that Mrs. Schuyler had taught her as a child. But it was different. Dancing with Alexander was different than dancing with Philip, who had been so unfortunate as to be around when Mrs. Schuyler was teaching Angelica to dance. Alexander held Angelica's hand to his chest. Angelica could feel the vibration of his chest as he hummed along to the country song playing. The muscles he needed were tense, but he was otherwise relaxed. He smiled at nothing in particular as they moved.

Angelica looked up at him with a playful smile. "You dance."

Alexander looked down at her and stopped humming just long enough to answer. "I do."

"Since when do you dance?" Angelica ignored the sight of Madison slamming back yet another gin and tonic. That was Jefferson's problem, now.

"Martha's first act as my foster mother was enrolling me in cotillion."

"Cotillion?" Angelica laughed.

"Hey, she's a Southern belle." Alexander said, still smiling. "She thinks she owes it to her fellow belles to make sure I can dance with them without stepping on their toes."

"And just how many belles have you danced with?" Angelica asked teasingly.

"Two." Alexander replied. "You and my cotillion teacher, Mrs. Posner."

"How do I compare to Mrs. Posner?"

"You're less grabby."

"Is that right?"

"Oh, sure. Mrs. Posner was all hands. Just ask Jefferson. He watched her grope me every single class and never came to my rescue."

Angelica looked over Alexander's shoulder at Jefferson. He was playing pool with Burr. Madison - now on his third glass of gin and tonic, was chattering animatedly next to him. She laughed. "Tom was there?"

"Sure. His family is Southern, too. He would always run over to one of the girls the moment Mrs. Posner said to pair up. Somehow, all of the guys always found a girl but me. Every time. I think it might've been a conspiracy."

Angelica smiled, but didn't respond. Instead, she closed her eyes and rested her head on Alexander's shoulder. She let herself enjoy the feel of Alexander, the smell of his cologne mixed with the lingering smell of beer, the sound of him humming along to the music…

"You like this song," Angelica accused. "And here I thought you were ready to flay Burr for bringing us here."

"I just told you that Martha is a Southern belle. She listens to country music exclusively. I've heard this song at least twenty times in the past month." Alexander told her in a low, warm voice. "And I might still flay Burr. I don't care so much about the music, but I was hoping to be among a different crowd."

"Hoping to have a love connection with a girl who can make a mean cheesesteak?" Angelica teased.

"I was actually hoping that the girls and the cheesesteaks would distract the others." Alexander bent his head just a little lower, leaning closer to Angelica like he was concerned about being overheard. "I didn't want to share you with them tonight."

"Well, you've got me." Tequila had gotten the better of Angelica. She had long since forgotten about Eliza's claim to Alexander.

"Not how I want to. Look at Jefferson; he's watching you. Burr, too. And - okay, Madison isn't watching." Alexander glanced in Madison's direction. He was no longer chattering at Jefferson and Burr. He was now slumped over a barrel full of peanuts, his fourth gin and tonic in his hand. "But I'm pretty sure that's only because he can't really see anything right now."

Angelica laughed. It was so obviously Madison's first experience with liquor and he was not handling it well.

"Annie." Alexander brought her attention back to how irresistibly close he was. "I can't stop thinking about the night that you kissed me."

Angelica lifted her head to meet his eyes. They were so close; she could see his eyes starting to grow bloodshot. She could see a patch of facial hair that he had missed when he last shaved. She opened her mouth - she wasn't sure what she was going to say - but she was interrupted right off the bat.

Madison had leaned over and vomited in the barrel of peanuts.

The bartender began hollering. The older patrons rose from their seats to throw him out. Jefferson and Burr rushed to his aid. Jefferson got Madison to sling an arm over his shoulder; he got him out of the bar before the patrons got their hands on him. Burr spluttered out an apology to the bartender, who was insisting that Madison had just ruined $350 worth of peanuts.

"We should probably…" Angelica looked at the mayhem regretfully.

"Yeah." Alexander released Angelica from his hold and approached the bartender. He put on his most charming smile as he did so.

Angelica, meanwhile, went out to help Jefferson take care of Madison. And, boy, did he need help. He was supporting Madison's full weight while Madison sobbed uncontrollably.

"It's _fine_ , Jemmie." This was clearly not the first time that Jefferson had told him this.

"No, it's _not_!" Madison howled. "I spoiled that nice lady's nuts!"

"I see this is going well." Angelica deadpanned.

Jefferson turned to look at her. "Can you do something, please?"

Angelica pulled her phone out of her pocket. Jefferson slapped it out of her hand, causing it to smack against the cobblestone street, face-down. Angelica turned to look at him, more shocked than angry.

"Thomas, what the _hell_?"

"You're not taking a video of him." Jefferson said sternly. "Colleges don't need to see a video of him like this on the internet."

"I was going to call a cab, you jackass." Angelica bent down and scooped up her phone. The screen was cracked. "Ah, you shattered my screen!"

Jefferson smiled apologetically. "Oh."

Angelica rolled her eyes and entered their location in her car-calling app. Just as Alexander and Burr emerged from the bar, a car pulled up. The four of them worked together to get Madison into the car before piling in themselves. It was only a mile drive between the bar and their rickety old house, but there was no way that Madison could have made the walk.

Once they made it to the house, Madison crawled off in the direction of the bathroom. It seemed that he had not gotten all of his vomiting out of the way in the bar. He had a long night ahead of him. Jefferson went with him, casting Angelica, Burr, and Alexander a piteous look. He clearly wanted them to help him take care of Madison. They all smiled back at him apologetically. They didn't have quite the same attachment to Madison that Jefferson did. They therefore felt no obligation to rub his back while he hugged the toilet bowl, sobbing.

Jefferson accepted this easily enough. He hung his head and slunk off in the direction of the bathroom.

"Well, that was…" Alexander shrugged off his jacket and tossed it on a nearby chair.

"A mess?" Angelica provided with a laugh.

Alexander grinned at her. "Exactly. I think I need to hit the hay; pretend that I didn't just spend ten minutes in the cab ride from hell."

Such a description of the cab ride might have actually been an understatement. Angelica had never been in a more chaotic mess in her life. Madison realized that he had gotten vomit on his shirt when they were about halfway there. Still drunk, he decided that he had to take off his shirt, immediately. He elbowed Burr in the nose (triggering a nosebleed that got blood spurted on both Alexander and Angelica), and ripped the buttons off of his shirt. Jefferson struggled to stop him, consequently getting the vomit from Madison's shirt all over his hands. It turned out that Jefferson was incredibly squeamish. He gagged the entire ride home. The cab driver had charged them double the usual fare for enduring the whole episode. Angelica had paid without arguing. They all knew that double fare was a bargain for what the cab driver had just tolerated.

"I need to wash off my face." Burr grumbled, stomping up the creaky old stairs of the house. With blood streaked across his face, he looked like he had just been mugged.

"Goodnight, Annie." Alexander said softly, smiling at her one last time before walking off in the direction of his room.

Angelica smiled to herself before plopping down on the couch. Just as she closed her eyes and considered settling in for the night, Jefferson entered the living room. He looked at Angelica in surprise.

"You're still up? I thought everyone had turned in."

"Mm, nope." Angelica answered, opening her eyes. "How's Madison?"

"Asleep." Jefferson answered, sitting next to Angelica on the couch. "I left him with a pillow, blanket, and water bottle. He should be alright by tomorrow. Hopefully, anyway."

"Well, if he throws up on the liberty bell, we'll just never be invited back to Philadelphia again. No big deal."

Jefferson laughed. "Yeah, no big deal."

"So, are you okay?" Angelica asked, turning to look at him curiously. "I doubt you planned to take care of Madison all night when you agreed to go out."

Jefferson quirked a small smile. "I didn't, as a matter of fact. I thought that I might get to see you outside of school without having to get my father to invite your family somewhere. I guess Alexander Hamilton bested me again."

"Well, we're hanging out now, aren't we?" Angelica reminded him, trying to keep the tone polite. She grabbed a deck of cards off of the coffee table. She was pretty sure they were for decoration, but Madison was throwing up in the downstairs bathroom and Burr was washing off blood in the upstairs bathroom. Clearly, the rickety house would be in rough shape by the end of the week. "How about a quick game of poker?"

"You have blood on your shirt." Jefferson said with a small smirk, accepting the deck of cards from Angelica.

"You have vomit on your pants." Angelica replied.

Jefferson gagged. Angelica laughed.

They spent about half an hour playing cards. Angelica had only intended to play one game of cards, but both she and Jefferson were too competitive to quit until they won. Whenever Jefferson won, Angelica would insist on a rematch. Whenever Angelica won, Jefferson would insist on a rematch. It was only when Angelica realized that Burr's blood was drying on her shirt that she took a quick break.

She went to her bedroom to put on a different shirt before washing the bloodied shirt in the kitchen sink. When changing her shirt, she heard the low murmur of Alexander's voice from the other side of the wall. He hadn't gone to sleep, after all. He had just gone to her bedroom to talk on his phone. Nosy as ever, Angelica finished pulling her pajama shirt over her head before creeping closer to the wall in an effort to listen to what Alexander was saying.

 _"I'm telling you, John, it was a great night."_

He was talking to Laurens.

 _"Yeah, yeah. Madison threw up all over himself and Jefferson - it was hilarious. No, we didn't get a video. No, we probably won't be doing that again. For starters, I think Madison would die if he smelled gin again."_

Angelica smiled to herself.

 _"Yeah. She was there. She was…great. I really think I was getting somewhere with her before Madison threw up all over himself."_

Angelica perked up. Alexander was talking to her, now.

 _"I'm telling you, man. I'm telling her this week. I don't know if she'll get rid of her boyfriend or Jefferson or anyone else, but she just needs to know that I love her. Yeah, no, I know that I like her sister, but Angelica is a whole different ball game, y'know? I could be happy with Eliza, but Annie…it's worth a shot. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I've got to get her alone, first. Jefferson isn't letting her out of his sight. Uh, no, I think she's in the living room with him right now…yeah, I'm telling you, it's not easy."_

Angelica's eyes widened. She stumbled out of her bedroom back into the living room, clutching her bloodied shirt to her chest. Jefferson looked at her curiously. Angelica just smiled at him shakily and went to the kitchen to wash the shirt.

"Everything alright?" Jefferson called after her.

"Everything is great!" Angelica lied loudly. "Well, sort of. I don't know what's in Burr's blood, but it is not washing out. I think this shirt might be a write-off."

"Hm." Jefferson walked into the kitchen and looked over Angelica's shoulder. "Well, we could always go to the mall tomorrow. I've heard there's a good mall around here."

"Where did you hear that?" Angelica glanced at him, surprised.

Jefferson sighed and rolled his eyes. "Okay, I didn't hear that. I just thought that we could ditch everyone and go to the mall tomorrow."

"We have to go to the tour of the liberty bell." Angelica reminded him. "The school made an appointment. They'll get notified if we never show up."

"Right, but we don't have anything on the itinerary tomorrow night. We could go then."

"We'll see." Angelica was too thrown off by the conversation she had just overheard. "Um, but I think I'm going to go to bed. I'm pretty tired."

"Yeah, okay." Jefferson looked at her strangely. "I'll go check on Madison."

"Okay. Goodnight." Angelica scurried off in the direction of her bedroom. Just as she was fiddling with the rusty doorknob of her bedroom, Alexander emerged from his own room. He looked at her in surprise, but smiled.

"Annie, hey. I thought you were in the living room with Jefferson."

"I was." Angelica sounded far too defensive. "But we just finished our game of poker."

"Okay." Alexander very obviously didn't understand why Angelica was being so defensive about being in the hallway, but wasn't going to question it. "Well, goodnight. Again."

"Night." Angelica fiddled with the rusted doorknob a little bit more until it blessedly opened. She rushed into her room and slammed the door behind her.

Alexander loved her. He didn't know that she knew, but he had told Laurens about it. He was planning on getting her alone at some point during the week to tell her. He wanted her to know. If he told her, would he ask her to break up with Church? Would he ask her to discontinue her dalliance with Jefferson? How would he tell her? Would he want to be her boyfriend? Or would he still keep his dozens of prom dates?

Angelica crawled into bed, frowning in frustration. She didn't know what Alexander's future confession would mean. She always knew what boys meant. Leave it to Alexander Hamilton to change that.

But she was Angelica Schuyler. She would either figure it out, or pretend that she had figured it out. She would be fine. She would be great.

With a small smile, she grabbed her phone off of the foot of the bed, where she had thrown it when changing shirts. Maybe Church had sent her a text suggesting that they break up. That would make life simpler.

As she looked over her messages - with some difficulty, thanks to the cracked screen. There were no messages from Church; only one from Eliza.

 **I hope your trip is going well. Say hi to Alexander for me!**

Right.

Eliza.

* * *

Alexander spent the entire week suggesting a series of events and occasions in which he and Angelica would be left alone. He "found" a gift card for a local restaurant. Unfortunately, when he looked up the value of the gift card online, it only had enough for two people. He invited Angelica to go with him. Angelica lied and said that she had just eaten ten minutes before he had arrived back in the rickety house. He wound up having to go with Jefferson, who was starving and out of money (he only received $100 per month; this fund was diminished entirely). He then tried telling Jefferson, Burr, and Madison that there was a special showing of "Rocky," for free - popcorn included - just down the street. Angelica had to lie and pretend that Rocky was her favorite movie in order to escape being alone in the rickety house with Alexander. As it turned out, there was no special viewing, anyway. Angelica had to pay for Jefferson's ticket to see a featured viewing of "Gone With the Wind." Madison teared up when Rhett Butler left. Alexander had tried yet again to get Angelica alone, suggesting that he was going to get some snacks and would need help carrying them back. Jefferson offered to help instead, undoubtedly hoping to grab a handful of popcorn when Alexander wasn't looking.

"Annie." It was their second to last day in Philadelphia. Alexander was very obviously getting desperate. He caught her alone as she exited her room after changing. They had a break in tours and obligations for lunch; Angelica was using the time to put on a sweater that no longer smelled like a musky old library. Alexander must have been waiting outside of her room until she was through. "I feel like you've been avoiding me."

"Avoiding you?" Angelica tried to pretend that the very thought was ridiculous. "Why would I avoid you? We've spent the whole week together, Alex. I can't think of a single day I haven't spent close to twelve hours with you."

Alexander frowned, clearly thrown by Angelica's answer. "I don't know. I guess I…we haven't spent much time without the other three. I'm selfish, Annie. I was hoping to have you all to myself for at least a little while on this trip."

"Sorry," Angelica forced herself to smile as she shrugged. "I guess I'm high in demand this week."

"So it seems." Alexander agreed with a smile of his own. "But the week isn't over just yet. What do you say we have a late-night picnic? Would you meet me at the liberty bell at midnight? It'll be fun. I'll throw some food in my backpack; we can make fun of the others. What do you say?"

"I don't know, Alexander…" Angelica wanted to go. God, did she want to go. But she knew what would happen if she went. She would forget about Eliza the moment she saw Alexander smiling at her. If he told her that he loved her, she would confess her own feelings. She couldn't just take something like that back when she finally remembered Eliza. Alexander wouldn't let her. "That's pretty late. I don't know if it's really safe for a picnic."

"It's a tourist area." Alexander assured her. "There'll be officers everywhere, even at midnight."

"I don't know…" Angelica persisted.

"Schuyler, Hamilton!" Jefferson called from downstairs. "Hurry up! If we aren't at the monument in ten minutes, a chaperone will come by to see what the holdup is. If they see the wine, they'll kill us."

Oh, right. It should probably be mentioned that Jefferson spent all of his money on wine.

"Coming, Jefferson!" Angelica called back, glad for the excuse to escape Alexander.

"Just…think about it, okay?" Alexander said as they walked down the creaky stairs to meet the others in the living room. "I'll be there waiting for you."

Angelica just smiled at him before dashing out the door alongside of Jefferson.

The whole day, Alexander sent Angelica meaningful looks. Angelica tried her best to ignore them. Whenever he would brush up against her during the tour, she would flinch away towards Jefferson. It was obvious that this treatment was hurting his feelings, but Angelica could think of no way to explain herself. If she told him that she was steering clear because Eliza had fallen in love with him, Alexander would be upset that Angelica was not giving him the right to choose for himself. If she told him that she was no longer interested, she would be a liar. Not only that, she would most likely be an unconvincing liar. The only way to keep Alexander from knowing the truth and insisting on loving Angelica at Eliza's expense was to avoid explaining herself. If that hurt his feelings, well, he would hardly be the only one hurting.

The tour ended around nine at night. The five were left standing outside of the building, debating their dinner plans.

"I have no money." Jefferson reminded them. As if they could possibly forget.

"We have no groceries." Burr contributed grimly.

"It's our last night here. Do we really want to spend more money on groceries?" Angelica reminded them.

"I can't eat another cheesesteak." Madison complained. They really had eaten a lot of cheesesteaks since arriving in Philadelphia.

"We could all just fend for ourselves." Alexander suggested. "I'm not really hungry yet. I think I'll be hungry closer to midnight."

"We could order in." Burr said, instead.

Madison nodded emphatically. "I think there's a Chopped marathon on tonight. We could order in and watch that."

"Someone will have to pay for me." Jefferson reminded them. Like they could forget. They had all been keeping a running tab of how much Jefferson owed them. "Because I don't have any money."

Angelica rolled her eyes. "I'll pay for you, Tom."

"Are we watching Chopped?" Madison had become obsessed with Chopped during the week. Burr had made the mistake of turning it on one night while they were hanging out in the living room.

"If there's literally nothing else on." Burr agreed as they began their journey back to the rickety old house.

Upon returning to the house, Madison made a beeline for the TV. He put on Chopped before anyone else could even think about touching the remote. When Burr tried to insist on looking for something else first, Madison looked nothing short of devastated. Jefferson smacked Burr upside the head and told him to shut up and watch Chopped. Finding something other than Chopped wasn't worth upsetting Madison.

They ordered pizza from a nearby pizza place. Angelica paid for Jefferson. Alexander sulked while eating a slice of greasy cheese pizza. Afterwards, he cast Angelica a meaningful look before slinking off to his room. Angelica pretended not to see and settled onto the couch in between Madison and Burr, who were bickering. Jefferson sat in his own chair, scowling at them all.

When the clock neared eleven-thirty, Angelica decided to take a shower. She didn't want Alexander to see her lounging on the couch with the boys when he left for the liberty bell. He might ask her to go with him; she might find herself unable to resist his hopeful smile.

By the time she returned to the living room in her pajamas, Alexander was gone. The boys were discussing Alexander's departure, speculating his reasons for leaving.

"Maybe he's exploring Philly's notorious nightlife." Burr suggested, waggling his eyebrows. "Seeing a few ladies of the night."

"Maybe he's giving speeches to the homeless." Jefferson supposed, taking a long sip of a generous glass of wine he had poured himself. Burr also had a glass of wine. Madison was avoiding alcohol like the plague.

"Maybe he got tired of being cooped up in the house with you three." Angelica suggested, pouring herself a glass of wine.

"If you don't like me, you can't drink my wine." Jefferson said with a smirk.

Angelica rolled her eyes, returning to her initial seat on the couch between Madison and Burr. "I adore you, Tom. You know that I do."

"Uh-huh." Jefferson said, his mouth still crooked into a smile. "Even when I kick your ass at poker?"

"You didn't beat me!" Angelica was easily baited. She really was very competitive. "We were tied!"

"I was up by one when you decided to quit and go to bed."

"I would have beat you if I had stayed up."

"Well, but that's just not true."

"Do you want to prove it?"

"Bring it on, Schuyler."

Angelica stood up, grabbing the deck of cards off of the side table as she moved. She sat down at the kitchen table, slamming the deck of cards in the middle. She tilted her chin, beckoning Jefferson to join her at the table. She would show him who was the best poker player in the house.

They played poker for about an hour. Madison and Burr fell asleep on the couch watching Chopped. Angelica couldn't help but glance at the time on her cell phone every few minutes. Alexander was waiting for her at the liberty bell. He was standing outside, braving the cold and looking around for her.

It was two in the morning when Alexander finally returned to the rickety old house. He trudged in, his face red from windburn, and his eyes dim. When he finished wiping his damp shoes on the doormat, he looked up and locked eyes with Angelica. She was still playing poker with Jefferson at the kitchen table. There was a bottle of wine sitting between the two of them. It was obvious that they had been there a while.

"Hamilton." Jefferson sneered. Angelica looked at Alexander apologetically. He didn't look back at her. "There you are. I was beginning to think that you had decided to live here."

"Not exactly." Alexander's voice was husky from the cold. "Just looking for something."

"What could you possibly have been looking for at this hour?" Jefferson inquired.

"Doesn't matter now." Alexander answered, beginning to trudge up the stairs.

"Alright." Jefferson didn't seem bothered by it. He turned to look at Angelica, amusement written plain across his face. "Prostitute. Definitely looking for a prostitute."

"I'm going to bed." Angelica's voice quivered. She was not going to cry, she instructed herself. She was now eighteen years old. She was too old to cry over a boy who would stop loving her any day now. She was past all that. She was most certainly not going to cry.

"What?" Jefferson turned around in his chair as Angelica bolted up the stairs. She started to cry. "It was just a joke, Angelica!"

* * *

Alexander ignored her the next day. He ignored her the whole bus ride home. It wasn't that he was being petty or trying to attract her attention; he was just doing his best to save himself from being hurt again. Angelica made a few clumsy attempts at speaking to him. He would answer her, but barely. He would not look into her eyes as he did so. The message of his behavior was obvious: anything that might have happened between them was now effectively over.

In fact, it was not for another few days that Alexander spoke to Angelica without her forcing him to by prompting some sort of painful conversation.

He was at the front door of the Schuyler mansion, wearing a suit and tie. He was holding flowers.

"Alexander?" Angelica's heart leapt when she answered the door. She couldn't help but smile. "What are you doing here?"

Alexander barely met her eyes as he spoke. "I'm here for Eliza."

Angelica felt the world drop out from beneath her feet. "What?"

"Eliza asked me to go with her to dinner." Alexander finally locked eyes with Angelica. He frowned. He was not pleasant and talkative as he once was. "Is she here?"

Just as he asked, Eliza came running down the stairs. She beamed up at Angelica before stepping across the threshold to join Alexander.

"Are you sure that you don't want to come to my birthday dinner? It won't be the same without you and John." Eliza asked for the umpteenth time.

Seeing her standing next to Alexander just made the pain pooling at the pit of Angelica's stomach worsen. Still, she did her best to smile.

"Sorry, honey." She tried to sound apologetic. She also tried not to look at Alexander while looking at Eliza. It was near impossible. "Church and I already have plans. He got tickets and everything."

"And you wouldn't want to leave him standing there, would you?" Alexander suddenly asked, his facial muscles clearly taut. Eliza didn't understand the underlying anger in his voice, but Angelica did. She smiled at Alexander apologetically before returning her attention to Eliza.

"Have fun, you two. Really." She forced herself to smile at them one last time before closing the front door and retreating to the safety of her bedroom.

* * *

 ** _REWIND_**

Alexander moved fast. He began staying after school to watch Eliza's play practice. Sometimes Angelica stayed with him. Sometimes they worked on homework together. When Eliza was occupied and it was just Angelica and Alexander, it was exactly like old times. He flirted. He teased. He asked Angelica to marry him. But when Eliza was with them, he distributed his flirtatious comments evenly. Eliza received just as much flattery as Angelica did. And damn if that didn't drive Angelica crazy.

As the spring semester rolled around, there would be two events that would decide the fate of Alexander and Eliza's potential relationship. The first was the senior class trip to Philadelphia. The top 5% of the class had been lumped into a group together; they were given the "honor" of a premium tour of historic Philly. Included in the top 5% were Angelica, Jefferson, Madison, Burr, and, of course, Alexander. They would be staying in a historic residence together. They would be spending a week together, walking around cobbled streets and market places. Angelica would have to resist Alexander for an entire week. If she didn't, it would break Eliza's heart.

The second event was Eliza's birthday dinner. Mr. and Mrs. Schuyler always gave Eliza $500 to take her friends out for a nice dinner on her birthday. Alexander had already agreed to go. Eliza had confided to Angelica that she would invite Alexander to the annual party as her date. Alexander would almost certainly say yes. Eliza was gorgeous and Angelica would have to be stupid not to know that Alexander did like Eliza. If Angelica could remain aloof throughout the Philly trip, Eliza would ask Alexander to a party as her date. Alexander would say yes. The future of their relationship would then be determined by how the party went.

But first, Angelica had to survive the Philadelphia trip.

"Are you sure that your boyfriend doesn't mind you staying in a rickety old house with a bunch of guys?" Alexander teased during the bus ride.

That's right, they were even taking a separate bus. It was like the school was worried that stupid might be contagious. Or, more likely, they realized that it made no sense for the bus driver to take the bulk of the students to their Marriot hotel before taking five special students to an old house in historic Philadelphia.

"Why on Earth would he mind that?" Angelica asked, rolling her eyes.

"Well," Alexander climbed over the back of Angelica's seat, plopping down next to her. "You're already hooking up with one of the guys." He nodded to Jefferson, who had fallen asleep at some point during the bus ride. "And you have the potential to hook up with another one." His smile suggested that he was talking about himself. Oh, boy, was this going to be a long week.

"I don't think he needs to worry about that." Angelica said with a smirk.

"Mmm, I don't know. Philadelphia is an awfully romantic place. Cobblestone streets, the vague history of slavery, the printing press…" Alexander glanced out the window before smiling at Angelica. "You might succumb to your baser instincts."

"Well, that's alright. Thomas is there."

"He might be indisposed." Alexander suggested.

"Then I'll find myself a hot little Quaker." Angelica bit back.

Alexander laughed, shaking his head. "I wish I didn't believe you."

"I wish you would both shut up." Jefferson grumbled. Apparently, he wasn't all the way asleep just yet.

"Someone's cranky." Angelica said with a smile.

"Ugh." Jefferson lifted his head and turned to look at Angelica groggily. There were bags under his eyes. "How do you both have some much energy? We left at five in the morning."

"Don't you drink coffee?" Alexander asked, leaning over Angelica to get a better look at Jefferson.

"It gives me a stomach ache." Jefferson grumbled, shifting in his seat so his head was nearer the window and his rear end was facing Angelica and Alexander. Angelica and Alexander exchanged amused looks before continuing their conversation.

"Have we found time to make fun of Burr's hair yet?" Alexander asked.

"My hair?" Burr asked, turning around to look at them. He looked offended. Alexander smiled back at him. Angelica bit her lip and turned to look out the window. "What's wrong with my hair?"

"Oh, Burr," Angelica couldn't help but laugh. "We've been meaning to make fun of it for _months_. I can't believe you've been getting the same haircut multiple times. Hasn't someone else gotten around to making fun of it?"

"Well, what's wrong with it?" Burr demanded.

"You look like an angry hawk." Alexander said.

"I don't know if the hawk is _angry_ …maybe it's just excited. Oh!" Angelica slapped Alexander's shoulder like she had just come up with a genius thought. Both Alexander and Madison were laughing as she spoke. "Maybe it's mating season for the hawk! Maybe it's just fluffing up its wings to impress a lady love!"

"I hate you guys." Burr sulked, slumping down in his seat.

"Hate is a big word, Burr." Alexander teased.

"It's a big feeling." Burr grumbled, glaring back at them.

"Aww, are you regretting coming to Philadelphia with us?" Angelica laughed.

Aaron cast them a dirty look. "Immensely."

* * *

Their residence was a rickety old house without a chaperone. Apparently, the school thought that good grades equated to maturity. After the 5% was through with the trip, the school would surely rethink this policy. Their first act as teenagers on the loose was to lay claim to their rooms and unpack their bags. Angelica got the best room. The boys were left to squabble over the lesser rooms. Once they unpacked, they convened in the living room area to determine what they would do next.

"Why don't we go back to the hotel and see what everyone else is doing?" Madison suggested. Everyone looked at him, frowning. That was very obviously not what they were going to do.

"Because everyone else is doing what the chaperones are telling them to do." Angelica explained it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "They gave us the opportunity to spent a week in the city without any adult supervision. It's one of the perks of being miserable studying for every test since day one. Besides, if we go to the hotel, we'll probably sit around and wait for the chaperones to decide that we can go to dinner. We should make use of our time here. We should explore. See the sights, meet the people -"

"Does everyone have fakes?" Burr asked with a devious grin.

"See, even Burr understands!" Angelica said excitedly. "That's a great idea."

"It _would_ be a great idea…" Madison murmured, looking away guiltily.

Angelica's shoulders slumped. "Don't tell me that you don't have a fake."

"Actually," Alexander interjected with an apologetic smile. "I don't, either."

"What?" Angelica whipped around, unable to believe that Alexander Hamilton, of all people, didn't have a fake ID. He was one of the school's biggest trouble-maker. Besides that, Angelica had heard a number of stories in which Alexander had gone to the bar with Laurens and Hercules and met inappropriately older women. "Yes, you do. You go to the bar with Laurens all the time."

"Sure, I _go_. I just don't drink. I can't have that kind of stupid charge on my record. Even if George and Martha let me live long enough to apply to college, Columbia would never let me in. Anyway, the bars'll let us in without IDs, they'll just put an "x" on our hands and we can't drink. It's not a big deal." Alexander explained, offering Madison a surprisingly understanding smile. Madison nodded, not smiling.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Jefferson asked with a grin.

"We are waiting for me to take a shower." Angelica answered firmly. "We just spent hours on a bus. I'm not going anywhere until I shower. Besides, it's only three o'clock. If we go now, it'll be us and a herd of alcoholics. That's a little scummy."

Jefferson's grin fell. He glanced down at his clothes - a hoodie and jeans, as always - and grimaced. "Oh. Right. Yeah, that's probably the right call. How about we reconvene at five and head out?"

Everyone murmured their agreements. Jefferson and Madison scurried off to find suitable clothes for going to the bar (if Jefferson even owned suitable clothes, that was). Burr left the house in search of a barber shop, insisting that he have his haircut corrected before he went to the bar. Angelica was about to go find whatever hanging faucet qualified as a shower in the rickety old house when Alexander suddenly grabbed her wrist. She turned around, surprised.

"What are you wearing tonight?" He asked, looking her over carefully. Angelica couldn't tell if he was teasing her or not. Consequently, she quirked a small smile and removed Alexander's hand from her wrist.

"I guess you'll just have to find out tonight."

"Okay," Alexander let his arm fall back to his side limply. "But let me know if you need help picking something out. I'd be happy to watch you model a few outfits."

Angelica rolled her eyes. Now Alexander was most certainly teasing her. "I don't think you're the only one who would want that kind of input."

"Really?" Alexander looked around the otherwise empty living room, an amused grin playing on his lips. "You think Madison has that kind of interest in fashion?"

Angelica shook her head. Madison was the only boy in the house who wasn't constantly bothering her. "Go get dressed, Alex."

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

Angelica looked Alexander over critically, turning the tables on him. He actually looked very good, but it wouldn't do to tell him so. Alexander was already vain as it was. "You've been on a bus for hours. You smell."

"You're right. I should probably shower."

"I'm going to be using the shower."

"I've always been very good at sharing."

"No." Angelica laughed, pushing Alexander back a step or two. "You can wait your turn. Maybe help Jefferson pick out something nice to wear tonight. I know how it bothers you when somebody is underdressed."

"Hm." Alexander kept on smirking. "Alright. But you let me know if you have any trouble picking out your outfit. Or working the shower. Or if you just miss me and realize that you cannot spend a single moment without my presence."

Angelica let out a short laugh before turning on her heel and walking off in the direction of the shower.

* * *

They had let Burr pick the bar. That was their first mistake.

Burr had assured them all that he had scoped out the perfect bar while out getting his new haircut (which, by the way, didn't look any better than the original one had). When they arrived, they were horrified to realize that Burr had chosen a bar that was currently hosting country music karaoke. When everyone turned to look at Burr angrily, he shrank back against the wall coated with posters of Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. The skull atop the wall wobbled as Burr's back hit the wall.

"I didn't know it was like this!" Burr explained apologetically. "It seemed normal from the outside! And the women that came in here were…"

"What women, Burr?" Alexander asked irritably. He gestured around the bar. It was filled with 50-60 year-old men wearing cowboy boots and obscenely large belt buckles.

"There _were_ women in here earlier!" Burr insisted.

"Oh, are yew fellas lookin' fer the ladies?" One of the older men had overheard them. He smiled at them like they were missing out on some huge inside joke. "Nah, they don' come here past three. It's some kinda girly music playin' at those hours. Madonna, or sommin' like."

Alexander turned to look at Burr, his expression murderous.

"But you'll like this crowd jest fine." The man continued, not seeming to notice that everyone was about to clobber the one person who had selected the bar. "Much better than the other places you're gon' find are here. No cover fee. Jest some good ole fashion music and some good ole fashion drankin'."

"There are covers at the other bars?" Jefferson asked in disbelief. "Do bars still _have_ covers? I thought that those only existed in the eighties."

"This isn't New York, Tom." Angelica reminded him, folding her arms across her chest and folding her arms. "We might as well grab a booth and settle in here. Unless you guys have twenty bucks each that you're dying to spend on a cover fee."

"I could kill you, Burr." Alexander grumbled as they moved in the direction of one of the (many) available booths. The table was sticky. The leather was worn and contained many holes. It was not a cutting edge venue.

"Hey, at least I chose a bar that doesn't have a cover!"

"Can I get you somethin', darlin'?" The bartender had approached the booth. Seeing as there was a grand total of maybe 7 men (a liberal estimate), she didn't seem to have a whole lot to do. She smiled extra wide at Alexander. Angelica noticed.

"Can I have a tequila shot, please?" Angelica asked, drawing the bartender's attention away from Alexander for just a split second. Angelica cast Burr a dirty look. "I don't want to remember tonight."

"Sure thang, honey." The bartender agreed, jotting down Angelica's order on a notepad. "And for the rest of you fellas?"

They all exchanged wide stares.

 _Wait_.

She hadn't carded Angelica.

 _She. Hadn't. Carded. Angelica._

"Scotch. On the rocks." Jefferson ventured, lowering his voice in an attempt to sound older. If under-aged drinks hadn't been on the line, Angelica would have rolled her eyes. Instead, she tried her best to look as nonchalant as possible.

"You got it." The bartender either didn't notice or didn't care how stupid Jefferson sounded. She turned to Madison. "And for you?"

"A Manhattan." Madison said, his voice squeaky.

Angelica couldn't help herself from shooting Madison a funny look. A _Manhattan_? _Really_?

"Oh, honey. We don't have all that martini, lime juice, vegan kale stuff here." The bartender somehow managed to sound condescending when saying that.

"He'll take a gin and tonic." Angelica said, casting the bartender an apologetic smirk. "Sorry. He doesn't get out very much."

"Gin and tonic, sounds good." The bartender smiled at Angelica conspiratorially. She then looked at Burr. "And you?"

"An old fashioned."

"Want the orange in the glass?"

"Uh," It was obvious that Burr had never ordered an old fashioned before. "Yes?"

"Alrighty then." The bartender smiled. She turned to Alexander. She had very obviously been saving him for last. Her smile grew ten times friendlier. "And for you, sugar?"

"Yeungling, please." Alexander was by far the most casual of the five of them. He didn't even look up from the menu in front of him.

"Anything you want, honey." The bartender said. Remaining the most impressive actor of the group, Alexander finally looked up from the menu. He cast the bartender a polite smile, like he was just humoring her. He looked at her nametag before speaking. "Thanks, uh, Deb."

The bartender - Deb - beamed before walking over to the bar. It was then that the group of five dissolved into disbelieving laughter.

"Burr, maybe you didn't screw up too bad." Jefferson laughed.

"See? What did I tell you?" Burr grinned from ear to ear. "I know how to choose a bar!"

They quieted their laughter as Deb returned with their drinks. Angelica downed her shot in one gulp. She might have been showing off for Alexander. Jefferson took a long sip of his scotch on the rocks and pretended to like it, because he knew that such a drink was considered "manly." Burr took one teeny, tiny sip of his old fashion and began coughing heavily. In a wheezy tone, he told the table that it was the most disgusting drink he had ever tasted in his life. After seeing Jefferson and Burr's obvious disgust with their choices, Madison took a tentative sip of his gin and tonic. When the taste finally settled on his tongue, he looked at Angelica, his smile wide and his eyes bright. He exclaimed that it tasted just like Sprite. He then took a massive gulp, apparently thrilled that his first drink was a good one. Alexander just watched them all with a lazy grin, taking an occasional sip of his beer as he did so. He really was too good at pretending that drinking was a normal activity for him.

"Well," Jefferson sighed, leaning back against the booth and looking around the bar. "If this is the only place that'll serve us without IDs, we might as well make ourselves comfortable. Jemmie, you up for a game of pool?"

Madison gulped down the rest of his gin and tonic before nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yeah, sure. Let me just get another drink."

"I'll go with you." Burr said. "I think I'll go back to my drink of choice."

"Wine coolers?" Alexander teased.

"No." Burr huffed.

"Peach Schnapps." Angelica corrected Alexander, winking at Burr.

Burr glared at them for a moment before storming off. Mostly so he wouldn't have to admit that Angelica was right; Peach Schnapps really was his drink of choice. Jefferson and Madison followed after him. Now left alone, Alexander turned to smile at Angelica.

"So you like tequila." He said, glancing at Angelica's empty shot glass.

"So you like beer." Angelica shot back. Alexander smiled before taking another long sip of his beer. Angelica watched as his Adams Apple bobbed at the motion. She knew that she shouldn't have been admiring the way Alexander drank beer, of all things, but she could hardly help it. When it came to Alexander, she was helpless.

"I think I'm going to see if there's anything on that jukebox that isn't country." Angelica decided, suddenly very desperate to get away from Alexander before she gave herself away. Alexander raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't protest as she got up and walked across the bar towards the jukebox. She was forced to stand behind one of the older patrons while he sifted through the rather large catalogue of Johnny Cash songs.

While waiting, yet another twangy country song emerged from the speakers surrounding the bar. Angelica sighed and dropped her hands - previously folded across her chest - to her side. The moment her right hand was down, it was picked up yet again. Alexander had grabbed Angelica by the hand and waist, and, next thing she knew, she was going through the familiar dance steps that Mrs. Schuyler had taught her as a child. But it was different. Dancing with Alexander was different than dancing with Philip, who had been so unfortunate as to be around when Mrs. Schuyler was teaching Angelica to dance. Alexander held Angelica's hand to his chest. Angelica could feel the vibration of his chest as he hummed along to the country song playing. The muscles he needed were tense, but he was otherwise relaxed. He smiled at nothing in particular as they moved.

Angelica looked up at him with a playful smile. "You dance."

Alexander looked down at her and stopped humming just long enough to answer. "I do."

"Since when do you dance?" Angelica ignored the sight of Madison slamming back yet another gin and tonic. That was Jefferson's problem, now.

"Martha's first act as my foster mother was enrolling me in cotillion."

"Cotillion?" Angelica laughed.

"Hey, she's a Southern belle." Alexander said, still smiling. "She thinks she owes it to her fellow belles to make sure I can dance with them without stepping on their toes."

"And just how many belles have you danced with?" Angelica asked teasingly.

"Two." Alexander replied. "You and my cotillion teacher, Mrs. Posner."

"How do I compare to Mrs. Posner?"

"You're less grabby."

"Is that right?"

"Oh, sure. Mrs. Posner was all hands. Just ask Jefferson. He watched her grope me every single class and never came to my rescue."

Angelica looked over Alexander's shoulder at Jefferson. He was playing pool with Burr. Madison - now on his third glass of gin and tonic, was chattering animatedly next to him. She laughed. "Tom was there?"

"Sure. His family is Southern, too. He would always run over to one of the girls the moment Mrs. Posner said to pair up. Somehow, all of the guys always found a girl but me. Every time. I think it might've been a conspiracy."

Angelica smiled, but didn't respond. Instead, she closed her eyes and rested her head on Alexander's shoulder. She let herself enjoy the feel of Alexander, the smell of his cologne mixed with the lingering smell of beer, the sound of him humming along to the music…

"You like this song," Angelica accused. "And here I thought you were ready to flay Burr for bringing us here."

"I just told you that Martha is a Southern belle. She listens to country music exclusively. I've heard this song at least twenty times in the past month." Alexander told her in a low, warm voice. "And I might still flay Burr. I don't care so much about the music, but I was hoping to be among a different crowd."

"Hoping to have a love connection with a girl who can make a mean cheesesteak?" Angelica teased.

"I was actually hoping that the girls and the cheesesteaks would distract the others." Alexander bent his head just a little lower, leaning closer to Angelica like he was concerned about being overheard. "I didn't want to share you with them tonight."

"Well, you've got me." Tequila had gotten the better of Angelica. She had long since forgotten about Eliza's claim to Alexander.

"Not how I want to. Look at Jefferson; he's watching you. Burr, too. And - okay, Madison isn't watching." Alexander glanced in Madison's direction. He was no longer chattering at Jefferson and Burr. He was now slumped over a barrel full of peanuts, his fourth gin and tonic in his hand. "But I'm pretty sure that's only because he can't really see anything right now."

Angelica laughed. It was so obviously Madison's first experience with liquor and he was not handling it well.

"Annie." Alexander brought her attention back to how irresistibly close he was. "I can't stop thinking about the night that you kissed me."

Angelica lifted her head to meet his eyes. They were so close; she could see his eyes starting to grow bloodshot. She could see a patch of facial hair that he had missed when he last shaved. She opened her mouth - she wasn't sure what she was going to say - but she was interrupted right off the bat.

Madison had leaned over and vomited in the barrel of peanuts.

The bartender began hollering. The older patrons rose from their seats to throw him out. Jefferson and Burr rushed to his aid. Jefferson got Madison to sling an arm over his shoulder; he got him out of the bar before the patrons got their hands on him. Burr spluttered out an apology to the bartender, who was insisting that Madison had just ruined $350 worth of peanuts.

"We should probably…" Angelica looked at the mayhem regretfully.

"Yeah." Alexander released Angelica from his hold and approached the bartender. He put on his most charming smile as he did so.

Angelica, meanwhile, went out to help Jefferson take care of Madison. And, boy, did he need help. He was supporting Madison's full weight while Madison sobbed uncontrollably.

"It's _fine_ , Jemmie." This was clearly not the first time that Jefferson had told him this.

"No, it's _not_!" Madison howled. "I spoiled that nice lady's nuts!"

"I see this is going well." Angelica deadpanned.

Jefferson turned to look at her. "Can you do something, please?"

Angelica pulled her phone out of her pocket. Jefferson slapped it out of her hand, causing it to smack against the cobblestone street, face-down. Angelica turned to look at him, more shocked than angry.

"Thomas, what the _hell_?"

"You're not taking a video of him." Jefferson said sternly. "Colleges don't need to see a video of him like this on the internet."

"I was going to call a cab, you jackass." Angelica bent down and scooped up her phone. The screen was cracked. "Ah, you shattered my screen!"

Jefferson smiled apologetically. "Oh."

Angelica rolled her eyes and entered their location in her car-calling app. Just as Alexander and Burr emerged from the bar, a car pulled up. The four of them worked together to get Madison into the car before piling in themselves. It was only a mile drive between the bar and their rickety old house, but there was no way that Madison could have made the walk.

Once they made it to the house, Madison crawled off in the direction of the bathroom. It seemed that he had not gotten all of his vomiting out of the way in the bar. He had a long night ahead of him. Jefferson went with him, casting Angelica, Burr, and Alexander a piteous look. He clearly wanted them to help him take care of Madison. They all smiled back at him apologetically. They didn't have quite the same attachment to Madison that Jefferson did. They therefore felt no obligation to rub his back while he hugged the toilet bowl, sobbing.

Jefferson accepted this easily enough. He hung his head and slunk off in the direction of the bathroom.

"Well, that was…" Alexander shrugged off his jacket and tossed it on a nearby chair.

"A mess?" Angelica provided with a laugh.

Alexander grinned at her. "Exactly. I think I need to hit the hay; pretend that I didn't just spend ten minutes in the cab ride from hell."

Such a description of the cab ride might have actually been an understatement. Angelica had never been in a more chaotic mess in her life. Madison realized that he had gotten vomit on his shirt when they were about halfway there. Still drunk, he decided that he had to take off his shirt, immediately. He elbowed Burr in the nose (triggering a nosebleed that got blood spurted on both Alexander and Angelica), and ripped the buttons off of his shirt. Jefferson struggled to stop him, consequently getting the vomit from Madison's shirt all over his hands. It turned out that Jefferson was incredibly squeamish. He gagged the entire ride home. The cab driver had charged them double the usual fare for enduring the whole episode. Angelica had paid without arguing. They all knew that double fare was a bargain for what the cab driver had just tolerated.

"I need to wash off my face." Burr grumbled, stomping up the creaky old stairs of the house. With blood streaked across his face, he looked like he had just been mugged.

"Goodnight, Annie." Alexander said softly, smiling at her one last time before walking off in the direction of his room.

Angelica smiled to herself before plopping down on the couch. Just as she closed her eyes and considered settling in for the night, Jefferson entered the living room. He looked at Angelica in surprise.

"You're still up? I thought everyone had turned in."

"Mm, nope." Angelica answered, opening her eyes. "How's Madison?"

"Asleep." Jefferson answered, sitting next to Angelica on the couch. "I left him with a pillow, blanket, and water bottle. He should be alright by tomorrow. Hopefully, anyway."

"Well, if he throws up on the liberty bell, we'll just never be invited back to Philadelphia again. No big deal."

Jefferson laughed. "Yeah, no big deal."

"So, are you okay?" Angelica asked, turning to look at him curiously. "I doubt you planned to take care of Madison all night when you agreed to go out."

Jefferson quirked a small smile. "I didn't, as a matter of fact. I thought that I might get to see you outside of school without having to get my father to invite your family somewhere. I guess Alexander Hamilton bested me again."

"Well, we're hanging out now, aren't we?" Angelica reminded him, trying to keep the tone polite. She grabbed a deck of cards off of the coffee table. She was pretty sure they were for decoration, but Madison was throwing up in the downstairs bathroom and Burr was washing off blood in the upstairs bathroom. Clearly, the rickety house would be in rough shape by the end of the week. "How about a quick game of poker?"

"You have blood on your shirt." Jefferson said with a small smirk, accepting the deck of cards from Angelica.

"You have vomit on your pants." Angelica replied.

Jefferson gagged. Angelica laughed.

They spent about half an hour playing cards. Angelica had only intended to play one game of cards, but both she and Jefferson were too competitive to quit until they won. Whenever Jefferson won, Angelica would insist on a rematch. Whenever Angelica won, Jefferson would insist on a rematch. It was only when Angelica realized that Burr's blood was drying on her shirt that she took a quick break.

She went to her bedroom to put on a different shirt before washing the bloodied shirt in the kitchen sink. When changing her shirt, she heard the low murmur of Alexander's voice from the other side of the wall. He hadn't gone to sleep, after all. He had just gone to her bedroom to talk on his phone. Nosy as ever, Angelica finished pulling her pajama shirt over her head before creeping closer to the wall in an effort to listen to what Alexander was saying.

 _"I'm telling you, John, it was a great night."_

He was talking to Laurens.

 _"Yeah, yeah. Madison threw up all over himself and Jefferson - it was hilarious. No, we didn't get a video. No, we probably won't be doing that again. For starters, I think Madison would die if he smelled gin again."_

Angelica smiled to herself.

 _"Yeah. She was there. She was…great. I really think I was getting somewhere with her before Madison threw up all over himself."_

Angelica perked up. Alexander was talking to her, now.

 _"I'm telling you, man. I'm telling her this week. I don't know if she'll get rid of her boyfriend or Jefferson or anyone else, but she just needs to know that I love her. Yeah, no, I know that I like her sister, but Angelica is a whole different ball game, y'know? I could be happy with Eliza, but Annie…it's worth a shot. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I've got to get her alone, first. Jefferson isn't letting her out of his sight. Uh, no, I think she's in the living room with him right now…yeah, I'm telling you, it's not easy."_

Angelica's eyes widened. She stumbled out of her bedroom back into the living room, clutching her bloodied shirt to her chest. Jefferson looked at her curiously. Angelica just smiled at him shakily and went to the kitchen to wash the shirt.

"Everything alright?" Jefferson called after her.

"Everything is great!" Angelica lied loudly. "Well, sort of. I don't know what's in Burr's blood, but it is not washing out. I think this shirt might be a write-off."

"Hm." Jefferson walked into the kitchen and looked over Angelica's shoulder. "Well, we could always go to the mall tomorrow. I've heard there's a good mall around here."

"Where did you hear that?" Angelica glanced at him, surprised.

Jefferson sighed and rolled his eyes. "Okay, I didn't hear that. I just thought that we could ditch everyone and go to the mall tomorrow."

"We have to go to the tour of the liberty bell." Angelica reminded him. "The school made an appointment. They'll get notified if we never show up."

"Right, but we don't have anything on the itinerary tomorrow night. We could go then."

"We'll see." Angelica was too thrown off by the conversation she had just overheard. "Um, but I think I'm going to go to bed. I'm pretty tired."

"Yeah, okay." Jefferson looked at her strangely. "I'll go check on Madison."

"Okay. Goodnight." Angelica scurried off in the direction of her bedroom. Just as she was fiddling with the rusty doorknob of her bedroom, Alexander emerged from his own room. He looked at her in surprise, but smiled.

"Annie, hey. I thought you were in the living room with Jefferson."

"I was." Angelica sounded far too defensive. "But we just finished our game of poker."

"Okay." Alexander very obviously didn't understand why Angelica was being so defensive about being in the hallway, but wasn't going to question it. "Well, goodnight. Again."

"Night." Angelica fiddled with the rusted doorknob a little bit more until it blessedly opened. She rushed into her room and slammed the door behind her.

Alexander loved her. He didn't know that she knew, but he had told Laurens about it. He was planning on getting her alone at some point during the week to tell her. He wanted her to know. If he told her, would he ask her to break up with Church? Would he ask her to discontinue her dalliance with Jefferson? How would he tell her? Would he want to be her boyfriend? Or would he still keep his dozens of prom dates?

Angelica crawled into bed, frowning in frustration. She didn't know what Alexander's future confession would mean. She always knew what boys meant. Leave it to Alexander Hamilton to change that.

But she was Angelica Schuyler. She would either figure it out, or pretend that she had figured it out. She would be fine. She would be great.

With a small smile, she grabbed her phone off of the foot of the bed, where she had thrown it when changing shirts. Maybe Church had sent her a text suggesting that they break up. That would make life simpler.

As she looked over her messages - with some difficulty, thanks to the cracked screen. There were no messages from Church; only one from Eliza.

 **I hope your trip is going well. Say hi to Alexander for me!**

Right.

Eliza.

* * *

Alexander spent the entire week suggesting a series of events and occasions in which he and Angelica would be left alone. He "found" a gift card for a local restaurant. Unfortunately, when he looked up the value of the gift card online, it only had enough for two people. He invited Angelica to go with him. Angelica lied and said that she had just eaten ten minutes before he had arrived back in the rickety house. He wound up having to go with Jefferson, who was starving and out of money (he only received $100 per month; this fund was diminished entirely). He then tried telling Jefferson, Burr, and Madison that there was a special showing of "Rocky," for free - popcorn included - just down the street. Angelica had to lie and pretend that Rocky was her favorite movie in order to escape being alone in the rickety house with Alexander. As it turned out, there was no special viewing, anyway. Angelica had to pay for Jefferson's ticket to see a featured viewing of "Gone With the Wind." Madison teared up when Rhett Butler left. Alexander had tried yet again to get Angelica alone, suggesting that he was going to get some snacks and would need help carrying them back. Jefferson offered to help instead, undoubtedly hoping to grab a handful of popcorn when Alexander wasn't looking.

"Annie." It was their second to last day in Philadelphia. Alexander was very obviously getting desperate. He caught her alone as she exited her room after changing. They had a break in tours and obligations for lunch; Angelica was using the time to put on a sweater that no longer smelled like a musky old library. Alexander must have been waiting outside of her room until she was through. "I feel like you've been avoiding me."

"Avoiding you?" Angelica tried to pretend that the very thought was ridiculous. "Why would I avoid you? We've spent the whole week together, Alex. I can't think of a single day I haven't spent close to twelve hours with you."

Alexander frowned, clearly thrown by Angelica's answer. "I don't know. I guess I…we haven't spent much time without the other three. I'm selfish, Annie. I was hoping to have you all to myself for at least a little while on this trip."

"Sorry," Angelica forced herself to smile as she shrugged. "I guess I'm high in demand this week."

"So it seems." Alexander agreed with a smile of his own. "But the week isn't over just yet. What do you say we have a late-night picnic? Would you meet me at the liberty bell at midnight? It'll be fun. I'll throw some food in my backpack; we can make fun of the others. What do you say?"

"I don't know, Alexander…" Angelica wanted to go. God, did she want to go. But she knew what would happen if she went. She would forget about Eliza the moment she saw Alexander smiling at her. If he told her that he loved her, she would confess her own feelings. She couldn't just take something like that back when she finally remembered Eliza. Alexander wouldn't let her. "That's pretty late. I don't know if it's really safe for a picnic."

"It's a tourist area." Alexander assured her. "There'll be officers everywhere, even at midnight."

"I don't know…" Angelica persisted.

"Schuyler, Hamilton!" Jefferson called from downstairs. "Hurry up! If we aren't at the monument in ten minutes, a chaperone will come by to see what the holdup is. If they see the wine, they'll kill us."

Oh, right. It should probably be mentioned that Jefferson spent all of his money on wine.

"Coming, Jefferson!" Angelica called back, glad for the excuse to escape Alexander.

"Just…think about it, okay?" Alexander said as they walked down the creaky stairs to meet the others in the living room. "I'll be there waiting for you."

Angelica just smiled at him before dashing out the door alongside of Jefferson.

The whole day, Alexander sent Angelica meaningful looks. Angelica tried her best to ignore them. Whenever he would brush up against her during the tour, she would flinch away towards Jefferson. It was obvious that this treatment was hurting his feelings, but Angelica could think of no way to explain herself. If she told him that she was steering clear because Eliza had fallen in love with him, Alexander would be upset that Angelica was not giving him the right to choose for himself. If she told him that she was no longer interested, she would be a liar. Not only that, she would most likely be an unconvincing liar. The only way to keep Alexander from knowing the truth and insisting on loving Angelica at Eliza's expense was to avoid explaining herself. If that hurt his feelings, well, he would hardly be the only one hurting.

The tour ended around nine at night. The five were left standing outside of the building, debating their dinner plans.

"I have no money." Jefferson reminded them. As if they could possibly forget.

"We have no groceries." Burr contributed grimly.

"It's our last night here. Do we really want to spend more money on groceries?" Angelica reminded them.

"I can't eat another cheesesteak." Madison complained. They really had eaten a lot of cheesesteaks since arriving in Philadelphia.

"We could all just fend for ourselves." Alexander suggested. "I'm not really hungry yet. I think I'll be hungry closer to midnight."

"We could order in." Burr said, instead.

Madison nodded emphatically. "I think there's a Chopped marathon on tonight. We could order in and watch that."

"Someone will have to pay for me." Jefferson reminded them. Like they could forget. They had all been keeping a running tab of how much Jefferson owed them. "Because I don't have any money."

Angelica rolled her eyes. "I'll pay for you, Tom."

"Are we watching Chopped?" Madison had become obsessed with Chopped during the week. Burr had made the mistake of turning it on one night while they were hanging out in the living room.

"If there's literally nothing else on." Burr agreed as they began their journey back to the rickety old house.

Upon returning to the house, Madison made a beeline for the TV. He put on Chopped before anyone else could even think about touching the remote. When Burr tried to insist on looking for something else first, Madison looked nothing short of devastated. Jefferson smacked Burr upside the head and told him to shut up and watch Chopped. Finding something other than Chopped wasn't worth upsetting Madison.

They ordered pizza from a nearby pizza place. Angelica paid for Jefferson. Alexander sulked while eating a slice of greasy cheese pizza. Afterwards, he cast Angelica a meaningful look before slinking off to his room. Angelica pretended not to see and settled onto the couch in between Madison and Burr, who were bickering. Jefferson sat in his own chair, scowling at them all.

When the clock neared eleven-thirty, Angelica decided to take a shower. She didn't want Alexander to see her lounging on the couch with the boys when he left for the liberty bell. He might ask her to go with him; she might find herself unable to resist his hopeful smile.

By the time she returned to the living room in her pajamas, Alexander was gone. The boys were discussing Alexander's departure, speculating his reasons for leaving.

"Maybe he's exploring Philly's notorious nightlife." Burr suggested, waggling his eyebrows. "Seeing a few ladies of the night."

"Maybe he's giving speeches to the homeless." Jefferson supposed, taking a long sip of a generous glass of wine he had poured himself. Burr also had a glass of wine. Madison was avoiding alcohol like the plague.

"Maybe he got tired of being cooped up in the house with you three." Angelica suggested, pouring herself a glass of wine.

"If you don't like me, you can't drink my wine." Jefferson said with a smirk.

Angelica rolled her eyes, returning to her initial seat on the couch between Madison and Burr. "I adore you, Tom. You know that I do."

"Uh-huh." Jefferson said, his mouth still crooked into a smile. "Even when I kick your ass at poker?"

"You didn't beat me!" Angelica was easily baited. She really was very competitive. "We were tied!"

"I was up by one when you decided to quit and go to bed."

"I would have beat you if I had stayed up."

"Well, but that's just not true."

"Do you want to prove it?"

"Bring it on, Schuyler."

Angelica stood up, grabbing the deck of cards off of the side table as she moved. She sat down at the kitchen table, slamming the deck of cards in the middle. She tilted her chin, beckoning Jefferson to join her at the table. She would show him who was the best poker player in the house.

They played for about twenty minutes. Angelica checked her phone every minute. It was midnight. One past midnight. Two past midnight. Three past minute…

"Tom." Angelica couldn't stand it. She just could not stand it. She couldn't take the thought of Alexander standing by himself, waiting for her. "Listen. You win. I concede defeat. I, um, I have to go."

"Go? Where? It's midnight." Jefferson asked, turning to watch as Angelica grabbed her coat and struggled with her shoes.

"I forgot something when we were out. I'll be right back." Angelica didn't bother explaining herself further. She ran out of the rickety old house before she could be subjected to more questions.

She spent a minute or two standing outside the house, looking up and down the street for cabs. She checked the app on her phone. The nearest one was twenty minutes away. That wasn't good enough. Alexander was waiting for her. So she did the next best thing. She took off running.

As she ran through the cobbled streets, she called Eliza.

"H-hello?" She had obviously woken Eliza up.

"Eliza, honey, it's me!" Angelica was speaking too loud, and she sounded completely out of breath. She didn't care.

"Angelica?" Eliza still sounded groggy. "What's the matter? Are you in trouble?"

"No, no. I'm…I'm great. Listen, I'm about to do something that I know I shouldn't do. I've tried so hard to avoid this but…honey, I'm in love with Alexander. I really, really am. I know that you like him, and I know that you trusted me when I told you that he was all yours, but he's waiting and I can't just leave him there. I can't. I'm so sorry."

Eliza was quiet for a moment. Angelica could only hear her heartbeat, her labored breath, and her footsteps, respectively.

"…You love Alexander?" Eliza finally asked tentatively.

"I do."

"More than John?"

"I didn't know I could love anyone like I love Alexander."

"Will you tell John?"

"I'll tell everyone."

"He isn't just another boy?"

"He's the only boy."

"Okay." Eliza had made up her mind.

"Okay?" Angelica asked breathlessly.

"Okay." Eliza confirmed. "If you really love him, then I'm happy for you. Angie, I only want you to be happy. Besides, I don't really know Alexander like you do. If you love him, you shouldn't hold back because of some crush I have. I think that I could just as easily love him as a brother."

"Thank you." Angelica couldn't possibly convey her gratitude with words, but she could try. "Really, honey. Thank you."

"Uh-huh." Eliza sounded like she was smiling. "Now stop talking to me and go tell him already. And tell me everything that happens after, okay? I want to know it all."

"Okay. I'll call you later."

Good. And good luck. I love you."

"Love you, too!" Angelica yelled joyfully, hitting the "end call" button before shoving her phone in her pocket and quickening her pace. She had to make it to the liberty bell before Alexander gave up on her.

Luckily, when she cleared the path and made it to the agreed upon spot, Alexander was still there. He was pacing in front of the building, hands in pockets and focused frown in place. He was talking to himself as he paced.

"Alex." Angelica stopped just in front of him, panting to catch her breath. He turned to look at her, surprised. His surprised expression gave way to a large smile. Angelica returned the smile as best she could when recovering from her sprint across Philadelphia.

"Annie. You came." Alexander's tone was pure relief. "I was starting to think that you weren't coming."

"I was, too." Angelica confessed with a small smile.

"Listen," Alexander scratched the back of his head, looking down at his shoes for a moment while he came up with the right combination of words to say. "I know I've been trying to get you alone all trip, and I don't think that you feel the same way, but Annie, I've just got to tell you - "

"I love you, too." Angelica was too impatient to let him finish.

For once in his life, Alexander Hamilton was too dumbfounded to speak. He stared at Angelica in shock. It would have been pretty funny if Angelica weren't waiting for him to say something in return. Something along the lines of "I've always loved you," or "Let's be in an exclusive relationship."

It took him about thirty seconds to say something. When he did, it was well worth the wait.

He smiled that beautiful smile of his and shook his head in disbelief. "I should've known that you would find out before I wanted you to. Yeah, God, Annie, I'm so in love with you. I know I haven't really known you for that long, and I know you've got Church, and Jefferson, and whoever else. I don't mind. I'll fit into your life wherever you can find room for me. I just want whatever you're willing to give me."

Angelica smiled and took a step closer to Alexander. She ran a hand through his hair. He leaned into her touch. She had thought about this moment so many times. She thought she had lost him when Eliza confessed her crush on him. But now, in the middle of the night in Philadelphia of all places, she was finally getting exactly what she had wished for. She was getting Alexander.

"Forget about Church." She said. "And Jefferson. And everyone else. As it stands, I only want you."

Alexander placed his hand over Angelica's. "Do you really?"

"I do."

"Then why did you spend the entire week stuck to Jefferson's side?"

Angelica smiled bashfully. "It's stupid."

Alexander shook his head with a small smile of his own. "Nothing you say could be stupid."

"I think Aaron Burr would make an amazing president."

"Okay, that's stupid." Alexander conceded with a laugh. "But I'm sure whatever it was you were going to tell me wasn't stupid."

"It was. And also a very long story."

Alexander sat down on the steps leading up to the building housing the liberty bell. He patted the space next to him. Angelica took his unspoken invitation and sat down beside him. The pavement was freezing.

"Eliza told me that she liked you." Angelica explained. "And Eliza is just…she's the best person in my life. She's probably the best person in your life, too. She's so wonderfully selfless and kind; I didn't think that it would be right for me to carry on with you. After all, she was so crazy about you, and she just adores Church…"

"So you ignored me, in the hopes that I would choose your sister, instead."

"I told you it was stupid."

"Annie," Alexander shook his head, smiling. "I would have waited for you."

"It's easy to say that now that I'm here."

"I can't imagine life without you."

"Lucky you; you don't have to."

"Good." Alexander grinned. "Then what do you say we get back home? I'm starting to freeze out here."

"Good idea." Angelica laughed.

Alexander stood up first, then held out his hand to help Angelica to her feet. She accepted it. His hand felt remarkably warm against hers. Angelica didn't let it go the entire way back to the rickety old house. Alexander didn't seem to mind. He just kept looking over at her and smiling like he couldn't believe his luck.

* * *

The next day, Angelica broke away from the tour for the top 5% and sought out the rest of the class on their tour of Benjamin Franklin's house. She pulled Church aside and apologetically explained that something had happened with Alexander and their relationship was effectively over. And, admittedly, Church handled it with all the class and poise that he had demonstrated time and time again. He teared up a little, but he assured Angelica that he just wanted her to be happy, and that, of course, they could still be friends. They hugged for a few minutes. Angelica needed to allow herself to say goodbye to the familiarity of Church. Church probably needed the same. But at the end of the hug, they both smiled at each other sadly before parting ways. Church returned to the tour. Angelica returned to Alexander. Alexander didn't ask questions about the proceedings. Angelica loved him even more for that.

On the bus ride home, Angelica and Alexander curled up together in one of the seats and talked about just about everything under the sun. They talked about where they wanted to go to college - Alexander was applying to both Princeton and Columbia. Angelica wanted to study abroad at Oxford. They talked about their favorite colors, their favorite foods, their future plans…they also talked about what they would do for their first date. Alexander wanted to take Angelica to a vintage bookstore he'd discovered in the city a few months back. Angelica could hardly wait.

A few days later, though, it became evident that the visit to the bookstore would not be their first date. No, Eliza insisted that Angelica go to her birthday dinner, and, more importantly, that she bring Alexander as her date. Eliza, meanwhile, had found a date of her own. Ben Rush, a boy in her grade with blonde hair and kind brown eyes, stuck by her side and smiled at everything she said. He didn't tease her, the way that Alexander teased Angelica, but he hung on to her every word and laughed at all of her jokes. That seemed to be more than enough for Eliza.

After the dinner party, Ben offered to walk Eliza home. That gave Angelica the opportunity to give Alexander a ride home. Of course, once they were there, Alexander decided it would only be polite to invite Angelica inside. Neither George nor Martha were home. Alexander explained that they were at some ritzy party in Albany. Angelica found that she didn't mind their absence too much. She sent Alexander to get her a slice of cake while she added notes into the margin of his notebook for an ideal government.

Once he returned with cake, Alexander saw the changes that Angelica had made and smiled. Then he launched into a speech about why she was wrong. That triggered a massive argument that ended with Alexander throwing the notebook across the room and kissing Angelica with more ferocity than she had ever been kissed.

She didn't leave until George and Martha returned to Mount Vernon a few hours later. Alexander begged her to stay repeatedly. He hid her car keys when she wasn't looking. He kicked one of her shoes under the bed so she wouldn't find it. He offered her another slice of cake if she'd only stay a little while longer. Tempting as his efforts were, Angelica kissed him one last time before departing from Mount Vernon for the night.

Upon her return to the Schuyler mansion, Eliza ran into Angelica's room, her eyes alight and her face flushed. She told Angelica that Ben had kissed her when they walked home from the restaurant. It had been her very first kiss. She then asked all about Angelica's new relationship with Alexander.

They spent the rest of the night gossiping. Eliza fell asleep around five in the morning. Angelica lasted until six.

Both girls fell asleep smiling.

* * *

 **THAT WAS SO LONG HOLY COW.**

 **But honestly, this is my absolute favorite chapter so far - I hope you folks enjoy it just as much as I do!**


	6. Chapter 6

Alexander had kissed Eliza at the end of their date. Angelica had watched from her room. She had spent the whole night assuring herself that Alexander wouldn't kiss Eliza at the end of the night; they had, after all, only spent minimal time together. They barely knew each other at all! Besides that, Alexander was all bark and no bite. He had always waited for Angelica to make the first move. Surely he would wait for Eliza to make the first move, too. Eliza would have never made the first move. But suddenly Alexander had leaned in and kissed her, making the move first.

Eliza had been beside herself when she came into the house. She had rushed up the stairs and then run straight to Angelica's room. She burst through the door, her face flushed and her eyes alight. She threw herself on Angelica's bed and immediately began telling Angelica all about her night with Alexander. Angelica, ever the dutiful sister, smiled and tried her very best to be happy for Eliza.

She continued to try to be happy for Eliza when Eliza stopped riding with her to and from school. Alexander began walking her. Angelica hadn't realized how quiet her day could be without both Eliza and Alexander there to keep her company. Church was hardly up to the task on his own. Still, Angelica spent more and more time with Church as Eliza and Alexander left her more and more lonesome.

When Eliza began inviting Alexander to family dinner every night, Angelica invited Church. Mrs. Schuyler didn't mind. She seemed to think that Alexander was good for Eliza, and, well, Church didn't have enough personality to be someone that anyone could dislike.

It wasn't until Eliza's play that Angelica and Alexander spoke to one another without Eliza or Church there to dampen any possible flirtation. Eliza was onstage, being the perfect little Dorothy. Church was one of the flying monkeys - Eliza had begged him to volunteer when one of the flying monkeys broke their leg and could no longer perform. So it was just Angelica and Alexander sitting together in the front row of the school auditorium on opening night.

Alexander could not have possibly looked more in love. He was no longer moping around for Angelica; he was now happily in love with Eliza. In some ways, that made Angelica feel worse. There was no changing her mind, now. He was well and truly Eliza's.

"She's incredible." Alexander murmured during one of the small breaks between scenes. Angelica looked over at him, surprised that he was speaking to her. He hadn't said anything other than "could you pass the _" or "thank you," to her since the Philadelphia trip.

"She is." Angelica agreed.

"Church isn't bad, either," Alexander said with a small smile, not taking his eyes off of the darkened stage. "But Betsey…"

"I know." Angelica nodded. "She's something else altogether."

"She doesn't want to study theater." Alexander finally tore his eyes away from the stage to look at Angelica. "Why doesn't she want to study theater? She's so talented."

Angelica shrugged. "I don't think that she knows what she wants yet."

"Then how does she know what she doesn't want?"

"Well, that part's easy. It's really simple to know what you don't want. It's infinitely more difficult to pinpoint what you do want." Angelica said, venturing a small, playful smile. Alexander's smile faded just a little bit. Angelica wondered what she could have possibly said wrong.

"I guess you're right." He mumbled thoughtfully. He glanced around the dimmed auditorium. "Uh, hey, I think I'm going to go grab a water bottle while all of this is going on. Do you want anything while I'm up?"

"No, thanks." Angelica frowned.

"Alright, let me know if I miss anything important." Alexander whispered as he shuffled out of the row and into the aisle.

For the rest of the play, Alexander didn't say another word to Angelica. It wasn't until they visited backstage together that he said anything at all, as a matter of fact. Church emerged first, hints of the gray stage-makeup still smeared across his face. He grinned and pulled Angelica into a tight hug when he saw her. Alexander looked around for any sign of Eliza. He was holding flowers, presumably for her.

"How'd I do?" He asked with the enthusiasm of a Labrador about to play fetch.

"You were good. I think. You were just supposed to jump around and knock things over, right?" Angelica replied, unsure of how exactly to compliment such 'acting'.

"You made it an art form." Alexander contributed, outstretching his hand to shake Church's. "Do you know if Eliza is almost ready?"

"You know her as well as I do," Church chuckled. "She's going to be a while. She's currently telling everyone from the Wicked Witch to the newest member of the stage crew that they all did an amazing job."

"Of course she is." Alexander smiled fondly. "I don't suppose I can just go back there and see her, can I?"

Church shook his head. "Afraid not. There are still a lot of people getting changed back there."

"Alright." Instead of making some joke, Alexander leaned against the wall, waiting. He looked at Church thoughtfully for a moment before speaking. "Are you guys going to the cast party at Dolly's house?"

"Oh." Church turned to look at Angelica in surprise. "I don't know. I don't think that I ever told you about that, did I? I just assumed that you were going to Jefferson's party."

"Nothing is set in stone." Angelica looked at Alexander tentatively. This might have been her chance to rekindle her friendship with Alexander. She knew that she couldn't have anything more; she had been given adequate time to grieve and accept the situation as it was. But a life with Alexander as a friend was better than nothing.

"Well, I know it's hard to stack up to a party at Monticello, but I'm sure that it'll mean the world to Betsey if you come." Alexander said, looking at Angelica again. He smiled. It wasn't a playful smile, nor was it flirtatious, but it was warm and genuine and that was all that really mattered to Angelica.

"Then I guess I can skip Jefferson's party." Angelica smiled at Alexander before glancing up at Church. "What do you say? Cast party at Dolly's?"

"You're coming?" Eliza suddenly materialized. She smiled at Angelica excitedly, largely ignoring the other two boys.

"Of course I am." Angelica said, smiling back at Eliza. "You were amazing, honey."

"You really were." Alexander cut in, offering Eliza the flowers he'd been holding. Eliza accepted them with a huge smile. "I don't think I ever want to see the Wizard of Oz without you."

"You're sweet." Eliza stood up on her toes and kissed Alexander's cheek. Angelica averted her eyes. Nobody really seemed to notice. Eliza turned to look at Angelica again. "Do you think that you could drive us to the party? We were planning on carpooling with Ben, but it looks like his car is already getting pretty full."

"Sure." Angelica started guiding them towards the parking lot, where her car was waiting. "So, how do you feel about your performance? Think you'll be changing anything up for the matinee tomorrow?"

"I don't know. Do you think there's anything that I ought to change? I know that I looked into the audience too much - I so wanted to see what you and Alexander thought about every single scene - but I don't know that I'll be able to change that. What did you think of the skipping? Was it too loud? I hate the way footsteps echo on stage. I was trying to step as lightly as I could, but…"

"No one could step more lightly than you." Alexander assured her, taking her hand in his as they walked towards the car. Eliza smiled and leaned against his side.

"I'm sure I sounded like an elephant."

"You couldn't possibly."

"He's right, honey." Angelica contributed as they climbed into the car. "I didn't hear your feet at all."

Eliza protested the whole car ride. She insisted that she wasn't very good, that her voice had gone flat due to the cold, she forgot the steps to the choreography when she met the witch, she started to laugh when Church "flew" around the stage, and, of course, she said that she stomped around the stage like an elephant. Everyone in the car teamed up to assure her that she had been perfect. Alexander was the most outspoken of them all. He assured her that he had never seen anything like her before. He asked her repeatedly why she wouldn't study theater. Angelica was surprised that he pushed as strongly as he did for the arts. One would think that he would believe more in areas of study like economics, or political science. It turned out that Alexander was a patron of the arts.

When they got to the party, Angelica looked around eagerly. If she could find someone to make fun of, someone to play a prank on, it was possible that she and Alexander could regain their friendship. It could be just like the party at Mount Vernon. They could sit in a corner together, making fun of everyone. They could -

"Do you want a drink?" Alexander asked Eliza. "I'm sure you're pretty thirsty after all of that singing and running around."

"That would be great. Thank you." Eliza smiled at Alexander like he had offered her a million dollars instead of a drink. "But you know what? I think I'll go with you to get one. I want to introduce you to some of my friends. It looks like they're over there, by the snacks."

And thus started the party that was exactly nothing like the party at Mount Vernon. Alexander did not make fun of a single person with Angelica. In fact, he hardly looked at her for the first hour. He spent that time fetching Eliza food and drinks, meeting her friends, and dancing with her. Church didn't dance with Angelica. He didn't know how to dance. He apologized as they remained seated on Dolly's couch, making dull conversation with Madison. He only wanted to talk about Chopped.

"And for last night's basket, there was bacon jam, Nutella, and -"

"Angie?" Eliza stumbled over to the couch, her face red and her smile breathless. She and Alexander had been dancing for almost a half hour straight. Alexander materialized behind her, sweaty and smiling. "What are you guys still doing here? I would have thought that you would be dancing over there with everyone else!"

"I don't dance." Church explained with a sheepish smile.

"Really?" Eliza seemed surprised. "I didn't know that about you. Well, Angie, you're welcome to borrow Alexander if you'd like. He's a wonderful dancer. Really, can you believe it? I would've never guessed. Martha made him take cotillion classes when he was younger." She smiled at Alexander fondly. He smiled back equally fondly.

Angelica knew that he had taken cotillion classes. He had told her so when he danced with her.

"I think that Alexander would much rather dance with you." Angelica said, smiling at them both as best she could.

"Of course I would." Alexander agreed immediately, eying Angelica strangely. Angelica's smile grew strained. She looked at Eliza instead.

"Besides," She glanced at Madison, who was watching the conversation awkwardly. "We were talking to James about Chopped. We're having fun."

"Okay." Eliza wasn't hard to convince. "Well, I think I need a break. Alexander, I think a few of my friends are watching Rent in the next room. Do you want to join them for a little while?"

"Absolutely." Alexander agreed, following after Eliza.

Once again, Church and Angelica were left alone with Madison.

"So, like I was saying, the basket was -"

"I think I'm going to head out. Are you going to stay?" Angelica asked, turning to look at Church.

She couldn't remain at the party. She didn't want to continue being reminded that so much had changed between her and Alexander. She didn't want to see Alexander huddled up with Eliza instead of her. She didn't want to see Alexander with anyone else at a party. She just wanted to be back at Mount Vernon, where they were inseparable.

"Oh, uh," Church looked around the party. "I don't know. Do you want me to ride with you home? We could watch that new show I was telling you about."

Angelica shook her head. "I'm pretty tired. I think I'm just going to go to bed."

"Okay, fair enough. Do you want to tell Eliza?" Church glanced over his shoulder in the direction that Eliza and Alexander had disappeared.

"No," Angelica decided. Her whole purpose for leaving was to escape Eliza and Alexander. "They're having fun. I'm sure Alex'll walk her home after the party."

"Then I'll go with you." Church said. "Are you sure that you aren't feeling up to watching some TV? I could make some popcorn…"

"No." Angelica said firmly. Since Eliza and Alexander had begun dating exclusively, Angelica had spent more time with Church. Church misunderstood the meaning of this attention. He assumed that Angelica was suddenly more enamored with him than usual. He therefore became infuriatingly persistent in his courtship of her. He was constantly showing up at the Schuyler mansion with food, movies, and board games. He wanted to walk Angelica to and from her car every day at school. He sought her out during lunch every single day. If Angelica had had either of her best friends available, it would have been the straw that broke the camel's back. That is to say, if Angelica had either Eliza or Alexander to take solace in, she would have terminated her relationship with Church. But she didn't, so, she didn't. "I really just want to get to bed."

"Alright." Church was persistent, but he always respected Angelica's opinion. "Then could you drop me off at my house on your way home? There's no point in staying at this party if you aren't here."

"Okay." Angelica agreed reluctantly. Church would talk the whole car ride home. "Madison, are you staying?"

Dolly was the center of attention, so Madison would be left sitting by himself if Angelica and Church left without him. None of the theater kids seemed too interested in talking about Chopped.

"I should," Madison answered regretfully. "Dolly will be mad if I'm not here to help her clean up after the party. I think I'm going to miss tonight's episode of Chopped."

"Sorry." Angelica said. She was not really sorry. "Okay, Church, you ready to go?"

"Sure." Church agreed, standing up and following Angelica out of the house.

He talked the whole car ride to his house. Angelica didn't really listen to what he was saying. It hardly mattered. The only thing that she could think about was Eliza in Alexander's arms. They were both so happy. They were both so in love. Alexander had long forgotten about Angelica.

"Alright," Church said as Angelica pulled up in front of his house. "Well, I had a great time with you tonight, Ang. Maybe we could do this more often. You know, parties and stuff. I think I overheard someone saying that Billy Duer is having a party next weekend. Would you maybe want to go with me?"

"I don't know, Church. I'll have to see what else is going on that weekend." Angelica didn't want to commit to Duer's party for two reasons. The first reason was that she had not had fun at Dolly's party with Church. None whatsoever. He didn't dance, he didn't enjoy meeting new people, and he couldn't seem to let loose. When offered a beer, he had gone wide-eyed before assuring the offeror that he did not drink, especially not when there was a remote possibility that he would be driving. The second reason was that Alexander and Billy Duer were good friends. If there was a chance that Alexander would be at the party with Eliza, there was no way on Earth that Angelica would make the mistake of attending.

"Okay." Church looked crestfallen by her rejection. "Yeah, that makes sense. Anyway, I guess I should let you head home before the drunks at the bar start driving home. Goodnight, Ang."

"Night, Church." Angelica tried to smile at Church to lift his spirits after turning down his offer to attend Billy's party. Church smiled back, but it was clear that the damage had not been undone. Angelica sighed as he closed the passenger door shut. She would deal with Church's hurt feelings on Monday. For now, she would have to worry about self-preservation.

When she arrived at the Schuyler mansion, she made herself a massive bowl of macaroni and cheese paired with a tall glass of Diet Coke. It was hardly the healthiest meal that she had ever consumed, but Eliza had Alexander and Angelica was sad. She deserved some junk food after the night that she had just endured.

She changed into a flannel pajama set and settled into her bed with her macaroni and cheese. She turned on some British romantic comedy where the girl got the boy. It was shaping up to be a fairly depressing Friday night.

Just as the boy ran after the girl in the pouring rain, fulfilling the movie's ultimate goal of pairing them together against the odds, Angelica's phone rang. She glanced down at it warily, expecting it to be either Church, wanting to talk to her before he fell asleep, or Jefferson, whining about her and Madison skipping his party for Dolly's infinitely lamer party.

To her surprise, her caller ID informed her that it was Alexander Hamilton.

"Hello?" She couldn't hide her surprise.

"Hey, Annie." It was Alexander. He was still at Dolly's party. Angelica could hear the laughter, the music, and the cheering in the background.

"Alex?" Angelica sat up in her bed. "What's the matter? Is Eliza okay? Did she faint again? Do you need me to come pick her up?"

"No, no. Betsey is fine." Alexander answered hastily. "She's great. She's playing some dancing video game with Dolly."

"Okay." Angelica slumped over with relief. "Then what're you calling for?"

"Oh, uh, I just…" Alexander paused. Alexander never paused when he spoke. Angelica cocked her head to the side, puzzled. She couldn't imagine what Alexander would need to say to her if it wasn't about Eliza. "I…uh…I…I just wanted to make sure that you made it home alright."

That was a lie. That was so obviously a lie. But talking to Alexander was still too painful for Angelica, so she didn't bother trying to get to the bottom of the truth behind his call.

"Yeah, Alex. I got home just fine." She said instead. She was sure that he could hear her voice break as she choked back tears.

"Good." Alexander didn't sound reassured. "Goodnight, Annie."

"Goodnight, Alex."

* * *

 **Rewind**

Alexander attended dinner at the Schuyler mansion every night. When Angelica didn't think to invite him, Eliza did. When Eliza was at Ben's house for dinner and forgot to invite Alexander, Mr. Schuyler would sent Alexander's foster dad, George Washington, a text asking him to convey the invitation to Alexander. All of the Schuylers loved Alexander, most of all Angelica.

Eliza had long since gotten over Alexander in the weeks following Angelica's confession at the liberty bell. The two of them conversed with ease whenever they were placed in the same room. She continued to go out with Ben in the meantime. They studied together, walked to and from school together, and ate lunch together. If Angelica had known how willing Eliza was to love everyone she met, she would have admitted to her feelings about Alexander far sooner.

But Angelica would be lying if she said she regretted anything that had happened in the past few months. She met Alexander, she went through the ringer trying to pretend that she wasn't in love with Alexander, then she broke down and told him that she loved him outside of the liberty bell. Now she was happily dating the most incontestably perfect boy in all of New York.

Now, sitting at Eliza's play with Alexander Hamilton next to her, holding her hand, Angelica was practically vibrating with happiness.

"She's incredible." Alexander murmured, looking at Angelica.

"She is." Angelica agreed, smiling extra hard as Ben clomped across the stage, serving as a flying monkey. Apparently there had been some sort of casting crisis and the theater kids could not wrangle up an extra monkey. Eliza had batted her eyes and Ben had immediately volunteered.

"Ben isn't bad either." Alexander joked, casting Angelica a side smirk.

"Oh, he's fantastic." Angelica agreed with a laugh.

They were shushed by someone sitting behind them. Angelica turned around and made a face before turning around and resting her head on Alexander's shoulder. It was warm and firm and it was Alexander's, so it was perfect.

"I love you, Annie." He murmured into her hair.

"I know you do." Angelica said, smiling.

Alexander moved, jostling her from his shoulder. He smiled at her challengingly. "You know?"

"I know." Angelica confirmed with a smirk of her own.

"There isn't something you want to say back?"

"Nope."

"Hm." Alexander settled back into his seat thoughtfully. "Okay. If you won't say it, I won't say it either."

"What do you mean?" Angelica asked, turning to look at Alexander in surprise.

The person behind them shushed them even louder this time. Both Alexander and Angelica turned around to face them. When they turned back around to look at the stage, Alexander was smirking to himself like the cat who had gotten the mouse. Angelica still didn't really know what he meant when he said 'I won't say it either'.

He didn't speak again until the play was over. They visited backstage together, waiting for Eliza to emerge. She had invited them both to a cast part at Dolly's house. They agreed to go for a little while. Afterwards, they were going to go to Jefferson's party in order to make fun of Jefferson's reaction when he realized that Madison would be attending Dolly's party instead of his.

"What did you mean 'I won't say it either'?" Angelica asked impatiently.

"I meant that exactly." Alexander answered smugly, leaning up against the wall. "If you won't say it, I won't say it either."

"Oh, you'll say it." Angelica argued. "You'll say it because you can't help it."

"You think that I'll just be overwhelmed with the urge to say it?"

"I know so."

"Angelica Schuyler, you are vain." Alexander observed with a grin.

"To quote one of my favorite philosophers - which one do you want to be, the kettle or the pot?" Angelica shot back.

"Angie!" Eliza emerged from the back, smiling from ear to ear. Ben followed at her heels, smiling at Angelica and Alexander politely. He still hadn't gotten comfortable around Angelica. Alexander claimed that he was intimidated by her. Angelica suspected that he might just not like people in general.

"Hey, honey! You were amazing." Angelica pulled Eliza into a hug right away. Ben stood by awkwardly. Alexander watched Ben with a smile, clearly amused by how uncomfortable he was. "I don't think I ever want to watch the Wizard of Oz again. It just couldn't stack up."

"I wasn't that good." Eliza said bashfully. "Are you still coming to the party? I was just talking to Dolly backstage. She says that James is already at her house, just in case we get there before her. Didn't you say that you were friends with James?"

"Friends isn't the right word…" Angelica mused.

"He sat on our laps while trying to take off his shirt in the back of a cab." Alexander interjected. "I'd say that qualifies us as friends."

"He what?" Eliza asked, her eyes widening as they began walking in the direction of the parking lot.

"You didn't tell her about that?" Alexander looked at Angelica in surprise. "Annie, that was the highlight of the Philly trip."

"Really?" Angelica looked at Alexander pointedly. " _That_ was the best part?"

"Fine, it was a tie." Alexander teased.

"Madison throwing up in a barrel of peanuts and then sobbing the whole car ride home is tied for the best part of the trip?"

"What on earth happened in Philadelphia?" Ben interjected as they climbed into Angelica's car. Angelica and Alexander both turned to look at Ben. They were smiling satirically wide.

"Look who's finally talking to us!" Angelica exclaimed.

She had made it her mission to get along with Ben at all costs. Eliza had always been so good about getting along with every boy that Angelica dated. She made it look so effortless to figure out their interests and carry on hour-long conversations with them. She knew the names of everyone in Church's extended family. She had memorized Alexander's overly ambitious ten-year plan. Angelica, meanwhile, only knew what school Ben went to. And that was only because they went to the same school.

"Don't point it out, you might spook him!" Alexander said from the back. He would always be stuck in the back when Eliza was in the car. Eliza always got shotgun. Always.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Ask me again, Ben. This time I'll tell you all about Philadelphia without being overdramatic about you speaking for the first time in my car."

"O-okay." Ben hesitated. Eliza turned around to smile at him encouragingly. "What happened in Philadelphia?"

Angelica smiled at Ben through the rear-view mirror. "I'm glad you asked."

* * *

By the time they showed up at Dolly's party, they were all laughing. Angelica was able to make jokes at Ben's expense without his face going red and his speech becoming stammered. Eliza was beaming at the two of them proudly; she trusted her sister beyond comprehension. The closer that Angelica was to her chosen romantic interest, the happier that Eliza was.

"You made it!" Dolly was very obviously excited to see them. "I was beginning to worry about you. Oh, Ben, I'm glad you got the makeup off of your face! Eddy was having some trouble with it. I think he's still got some smudges on his face."

"Of course we made it. Are you playing Rent yet?" Eliza asked, hooking Ben's arm in hers and following Dolly.

"Do you want a drink?" Alexander turned to Angelica. Since they had been left alone, he didn't mind wrapping his arms around Angelica's waist and resting his head on her shoulder. His nose ticked her neck. Angelica shivered.

"Nah, it looks like they only have punch. I'm not a huge juice kind of person. Why don't we just find Madison and take a bunch of pictures of him to send to Tom?" Angelica suggested.

Alexander turned to look at Angelica. "You beautiful evil mastermind."

Jefferson would be furious when he saw where Madison was, instead of the party at Monticello.

"What?" Angelica feigned innocence. "I think that Tom should know where Madison is, so that he doesn't spend the whole party worrying that he's dead in a ditch somewhere."

"Uh-huh. So we're texting him from your phone?" Alexander asked knowingly.

"God, no. He's still a tall drink of water. I don't want to mess that up." Angelica teased.

"Is that right?" Alexander asked, removing his head from Angelica's shoulder and allowing her to lead him to a corner of the living room where no one was occupying. "I thought that you only wanted me?"

"I'm keeping my options open." Angelica smirked.

"I'm sending it from your phone." Alexander decided. He grabbed Angelica's purse from her before she could even think to react.

"Hey!" Angelica grabbed at her purse, but Alexander danced out of her grasp. Angelica lunged forward, but again Alexander proved to be impossibly light on his feet. She chased him all through the living room, disrupting a number of people who were dancing, and uprooting Madison from the couch, where he was watching Chopped.

"Hamilton, give me my phone!" Angelica howled, knocking Alexander over onto the couch and climbing onto him in an effort to get her purse back.

"No!" Alexander laughed. He held the purse just out of reach. Angelica tried to climb over him to get to it, but he held her back with his other arm. "No way in hell! I'm going to ruin your backup for you!"

"Oh, look! We don't have to send Tom a picture. He's right at the door!" Angelica said, looking up in the direction of the door with a relieved smile.

"What?" Alexander craned his neck to get a better look at the front door.

While he was distracted, Angelica grabbed her purse and clambered off of the couch. Alexander turned to look at her in surprise. When he realized that he had been bested, he wrinkled his nose and frowned.

"You wily minx." He accused.

"Guilty." Angelica grinned.

"I'm not saying it." Alexander said as he got out of his seat, smiling at Angelica as he approached her. He was smiling that irresistible smile of his.

"Oh, you'll say it." Angelica smirked as Alexander grabbed her hands and pulled her into a dance. The music wasn't the right tempo for the slow sway that Alexander was leading, but Angelica found that she really didn't mind.

"Mm, I like it when you get arrogant." Alexander hummed.

"Do you love it?" Angelica asked, trying to get him to say it.

"Oh, Annie." Alexander chuckled. "You're better than that."

"Worth a shot." Angelica winked.

"So," Alexander turned Angelica around in order to get a better look at Madison. He had returned to his post on the couch in order to watch Chopped. At this point, it was unclear why Dolly had asked him to attend the party. She hadn't spoken to him since the party had started. "Do you still want to go to Jefferson's party? We could do something more fun, like not go to Jefferson's party."

"I told you, I'm keeping my options open." Angelica said, quirking a smile. "Besides, don't you want to see who actually showed up? It looks like a decent crowd is here."

"I know Laurens isn't there." Alexander mused. "Thomas aside, the Laurens family just hates the Jefferson family. It's a whole Southerners feud. I don't know. I don't completely understand it."

"Lafayette will be there." Angelica considered. "He and Tom are good friends."

"So I've heard." Alexander murmured. "It's taking everything I have not to ask him why."

"Tom isn't really that bad," Angelica told him with a smile. "As a matter of fact, I think you two would get along well if you would just agree on a few simple things."

"He wants to castrate the federal government and let the country be run by farmers." Alexander reminded Angelica irritably. "That's hardly a simple thing. If he gets his way in politics, he'll ruin the country."

"He's eighteen, Alex." Angelica pointed out playfully. "I'm pretty sure that he has to wait until he's thirty-five until he runs for president. His views will probably change by then. Your views will probably change, too."

"His father is more of the same. He's constantly undermining the power of the federal government in Virginia. And he's grooming Jefferson to be just like him! Jefferson and Madison are already talking about Jefferson's future as the governor of Virginia." Alexander argued.

"So become the governor of New York." Angelica advised as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. She could imagine Alexander running for governor. She could see him running around the governor's mansion howling at the staff because of some important event he was supposed to host last-minute. She could see him primping and preening before press conferences, ensuring that he looked camera-ready.

"No," Alexander sighed. "I don't want to be the governor of New York. I would have to spend too much time doing things that don't matter. I don't want to worry about hosting galas and sending out personalized Christmas cards. I just want to write policy and handle debt."

"So you want to work for Congress." Angelica concluded.

"I really don't." Alexander replied with a small smile.

"Supreme Court?" Angelica speculated confusedly. Her eyebrows knit together. She couldn't quite imagine Alexander getting appointed as a Supreme Court Justice. His opinions were much too controversial for many politicians to stand behind wholeheartedly. Both Republicans and Democrats would likely be too wary of him to appoint him to a lifelong position.

Alexander laughed. "Definitely not. I can't think of a worse job. I would waste all of my time writing dissents for past cases."

"Then what is your ten year plan? Where do you see yourself in the ideal future?" Angelica questioned, stopping the dance to look at Alexander with a curious smile.

"President." Alexander offered with a smile of his own.

"Really? You?" Angelica couldn't help but laugh.

"What? You wouldn't vote for me?" Alexander acted affronted. His smile gave him away.

Angelica grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him into the hallway between the living room and the room where a bunch of theater kids were singing along to Rent. There were still a few other people hanging around the hallway, but it was much easier to hear Alexander without a baseline vibrating her organs.

"I would vote for you, I just doubt that anyone else would. What would your slogan be?" Angelica wondered.

"I don't know." Alexander shrugged. "Does it matter? Isn't that something that the campaign manager comes up with?"

"Okay, then what would be your platform?" Angelica persisted.

"First of all, I'm bringing capitalism back. Not the villainized sort of capitalism that all of the poli-sci majors think is ruining the morality of modern-day society; the kind of capitalism that has the potential to make run-down cities prosper again. The kind that can actually get our literacy rate to 100%."

"What do you mean?" Angelica asked. She loved when Alexander get enthused about things.

"I want to enforce a flat-rate tax on all businesses. No more deductions or exemptions or complicated forms that require a whole team of accountants to prosper. They just pay a certain percentage of their revenue. If they don't make revenue, there aren't any taxes. That way, those who need a break get a break without all of the complications that come along with tax breaks."

"What else?"

"Free trade. Everywhere. Countries have started using trade agreements and hiked up importation taxes on other countries as a way to barter for peace. That's stupid and counterproductive. If there was free trade, small-scale farmers who are finding themselves out of place in this country could just as easily move to another country in sore need of small farmers. Displaced factory workers in places like Detroit could find industrial countries to work instead of having to reshape their resume or grant government subsidies."

"So you want a laissez-faire system?" Angelica confirmed. "What about your sense of morality? Don't you think that businesses would take advantage of the American people?"

"Maybe." Alexander allowed. "But without any rules and regulations, they'd only do it once. You don't have to buy your clothes from whatever store it is that sells pretty little dresses with matching high heels."

Angelica opened her mouth to protest. Alexander kissed her nose before continuing to speak.

"But I wouldn't be opposed to committees like the FDA making sure that no one eats poison."

"You're a saint."

Alexander smiled at her indulgently. "I didn't realize that you were so moral."

"Let's talk about Keynesian theory." Angelica countered smugly.

"God, I love it when you talk economics to me." Alexander grinned.

"The bubble burst of 2008 happened while the Fed was under the care of two people who believed in minimal intervention." Angelica reminded Alexander, resting her head on Alexander's shoulder. "Analysts said the bubble could have been a result of a hands-off market."

"Do we have to go to Jefferson's party?" Alexander asked, his tone playful but his eyes pleading. "I just want you all to myself."

"I'm not going home with you. Not when your eyes look like that."

"Why not?"

"You'll cause trouble."

"I thought that you liked trouble."

"Only when I'm the one causing it." Angelica replied with a playful smile of her own.

"Then why don't you want to cause a little trouble tonight?"

"Because it's a lot more fun to stand here and watch you spin your wheels trying to think of ways to entice me to go to your house."

"Torturer."

Angelica blew him a kiss before walking across the party. She sat down with Madison and decided to engage him in a conversation about Chopped. He really did love Chopped to an almost unhealthy degree. Alexander, meanwhile, was left to squirm in a corner, dropping "subtle" hints that he was ready to leave.

Eventually, they did leave. Ben promised Angelica that he would walk Eliza home so that she would be home before curfew. Angelica, on the other hand, would not be home before curfew. She was destined to spend most of the night on Alexander's roof. They argued economic theories, debated which branch of government was the strongest, which branch of the government should be the strongest, and, of course, they might have spent an hour or two not talking very much at all. It should also be said that in the end, Alexander did get Angelica to say it. She told him that she loved him when she saw the way his eyes shone in the moonlight. She could hardly help herself.

Angelica made it home at three in the morning. Mrs. Schuyler was still up, waiting for her. She asked who Angelica was with. Angelica told her.

"I thought that Eliza liked him." Mrs. Schuyler had remarked suspiciously.

"She did." Angelica affirmed. "But then I loved him. Now Eliza likes Ben and I'm with Alexander."

"I see." Mrs. Schuyler's eyes narrowed. "And what were you and Alexander up to this late?"

"We were weighing the merits of each economic theory that might have prevented the housing bubble of 2008."

"Were you really?" Mrs. Schuyler seemed surprised, but no longer suspicious.

"Yes, mama."

"Well." Mrs. Schuyler stood up from the plush armchair that she had been waiting in. "Then I suppose you've had all of the punishment you deserve for one evening. We'll talk about this more at breakfast."

Angelica couldn't quite believe her luck - she was three hours later than her unusually liberal curfew (Mrs. Schuyler erroneously believed that if Angelica went to the same party as Eliza, she would behave herself) - and Mrs. Schuyler wasn't yelling. She hadn't once mentioned Angelica being grounded. In fact, as she walked up the stairs towards the master bedroom, Angelica could have sworn that Mrs. Schuyler was laughing.

As Angelica returned to the refuge of her own bedroom, her phone rang. She answered, already knowing who would be on the phone.

"Hi, Alex."

"Annie." Angelica could hear his smile. "I just wanted to make sure that you made it home alright."

"I made it home just fine."

"Good." Alexander's voice was low and woolly with sleep. "Goodnight, Annie."

"Goodnight, Alex."

* * *

 ***Pokes head out from behind some imaginary brick wall* Helloooo. It's me.**

 **I guess I should have mentioned last week - Chapter Five was hardly the end of this story. It was actually closer to the beginning than the end. There is so, so, SO much more to come.**

 **Of course, if you want to treat it as the end, you can, but there's still so much angst left for me to explore.**

 **Anyway. Thanks to everyone who's been reading lately. I have been living for the reviews!**


	7. Chapter 7

They lasted until the end of senior year. Angelica had never expected Alexander and Eliza to last until the end of the school year. She had thought - maybe hoped - that Alexander's womanizing tendencies, or even just the fact that he was going off to college, would ruin their relationship by the end of the school year.

But somehow, against all odds, they stayed together. Alexander had apologetically cancelled every other prom date he had accumulated before Eliza. Eliza hadn't even asked him to; he'd done it completely on his own volition. Then he'd asked Eliza to their school prom. He gave her flowers. Church had texted Angelica on the morning of ticket sales asking if he ought to buy tickets.

In truth, Angelica didn't care about prom. She didn't even want to go. She hadn't planned to go. After Dolly's cast party, she was faced with the fact that she and Alexander would never be able to return to the same flirtatious friendship that they had enjoyed before Philadelphia. She wouldn't enjoy spending time with Eliza, either, because Alexander would hardly leave her side. Jefferson would keep his distance; he disliked Church. Burr would have a date. Madison had already proved that he was happy just to follow Dolly around everywhere. Angelica would be stuck alone with Church all night long, watching everyone enjoy evenings with people they loved.

But Mrs. Schuyler had found out from Eliza that Angelica had a shot at being the prom queen. Mrs. Schuyler believed that social awards were the highest honor and bought Angelica a designer dress without even asking. With the $10,000 dress sitting in her closet, Angelica could hardly tell Mrs. Schuyler that she had no interest in going to prom.

Besides Mrs. Schuyler's dedication to aligning the stars that could make Angelica prom queen, Eliza begged Angelica to go. Alexander had promised John Laurens that he and Eliza would attend his after-prom party at Laurens' reserved hotel room. Eliza confided in Angelica that she was worried that Alexander might want to take things further than Eliza was comfortable with.

Part of Angelica was relieved that Eliza and Alexander hadn't gone that far yet, but the other part of her really didn't want to be the chastity police. Still, Eliza had begged and Angelica had never been able to tell Eliza "no."

So Angelica agreed.

Eliza made Alexander dinner at the Schuyler mansion while Church made reservations at some fancy restaurant that he'd seen on The Food Network. Afterwards, they all met up at the school in order to pile into the limo that Church had rented for the night. Angelica knew that Alexander would not be able to afford a limo of his own, so she invited both him and Eliza to piggyback off of the reservations that Church had made. Alexander had gratefully accepted.

Now, sitting in the back of the limo with Church, Alexander, and Eliza, Angelica began to regret her decision.

Alexander was devastatingly handsome in his tuxedo. He was handsome and so terribly cheerful and he was talking about economics while Church fiddled with his bowtie and mumbled something incoherent about his fear of dancing. Eliza was able to have a stimulating conversation with her striking boyfriend, while Angelica rolled her eyes and told Church that his bowtie looked fine. Worst of all, Angelica was forced to look at the upsetting difference in what she got, and what Eliza got.

"Looks like we're here." Alexander peered out the window of the limo. "Is that Jefferson? Did he bring a date? Annie, do you know if he brought a date?"

"I don't know, Alex." Angelica lied.

Thomas had not brought a date. He had spent all of mock trial practice telling Angelica that he would not bring a date to prom. Angelica was glad. With Church refusing to dance at every single event they attended, she needed someone like Jefferson hanging in the eves, waiting to take her hand the moment that she offered.

"Hm. Maybe he brought that fourteen year-old girlfriend of his." Alexander speculated.

"I don't think he brought Sally to prom, Alex." Angelica rolled her eyes.

"Who is Sally?" Church asked, trying to keep up.

"Some girl that Thomas went out with a few times over the summer." Angelica did her best to downplay Jefferson's bad behavior. After all, he was one of her only remaining weekend boys.

"I never trusted him." Eliza chimed in. "He always seemed like he was looking around for a scandal."

"Well, honey, who isn't?" Alexander teased as the limo pulled up at the curb. Eliza smiled at Alexander good-naturedly.

Church, meanwhile, clambered out of the limo and opened the door for Angelica. Angelica accepted his offered hand and climbed out of the limo, careful to avoid allowing her dress to drag on the ground. The hotel in which the prom was being held was in the city, and the city streets were generally not the cleanest. They walked into the hotel while Alexander helped Eliza out of the limo.

Somehow, though, Alexander and Eliza caught up to Angelica and Church as they entered the ballroom.

"Oh my god," Alexander hissed the moment they stepped through the doors. He'd gotten a better look at Jefferson's attire. It was a handsome linen suit, but it was not a tuxedo. Alexander was fuming over it. "This is a _black tie_ event. You would think that someone as rich as him would know what that means!"

"What does it matter what Thomas wears?" Angelica asked, bored. "It hardly reflects on you. In fact, you look better by comparison."

"You do look better." Eliza confirmed with that doting smile of hers.

"Angelica!" Martha Washington glided across the ballroom, apparently delighted to see Angelica. "I haven't see you in ages. How are you, sweet pea? Oh, and Eliza, you look so beautiful!"

"Martha." Alexander growled through gritted teeth. He looked around the ballroom anxiously. "What are you doing here?"

"I volunteered to chaperone, sugar." Martha answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Your school called and said that they were in desperate need of volunteers. Otherwise your prom would have been cancelled."

"How thoughtful of you!" Eliza gushed, beaming at Martha.

Martha had taken to her like a daughter since she and Alexander began dating. Angelica couldn't help but note with some smug relief that Martha still delighted over see her, too. Angelica was still among Martha's favorites.

"It's so nice to see you." Angelica added with her usual touch of charm.

"Is George here, too?" Alexander looked around, embarrassment written clear across his face. Eliza rolled her eyes and placed a delicate hand on his arm.

It was like she left him spellbound; one touch and every nerve in his body was soothed. Alexander relaxed under her loving gaze. Despite his posture growing less tense and his facial expression growing less frantic, though, he did not break eye contact with Martha.

"Unfortunately not, sugar. He had a meeting to go to tonight." Martha replied easily enough. "But don't let me get in your way. Go on and dance with your beautiful girl. And Angelica, who is this handsome young man you've brought tonight?"

"Martha, this is my boyfriend, John Church. Church, this is Martha Washington." Angelica introduced the two without much flair. Church offered Martha his hand. Martha quickly accepted and shook it.

"It's a pleasure." Church assured her.

"Likewise." Martha agreed in that irresistible Southern draw of hers. "Now go on and take your girl out for a spin on the floor. She looks ready to dance."

"Thank you, Martha." Angelica smirked at Martha before grabbing Church's hand and leading him over to a table where Jefferson, Madison, Dolly, Aaron Burr, and a few other classmates were sitting.

"Angie, you know that I can't dance, right?" Church reminded her in a low voice as they walked.

"I know." Angelica didn't need to hear any more excuses. "And as long as you're okay with me dancing with other people, you're completely off the hook."

"Of course I don't mind." Church said, a trusting smile on his face.

"Good." Angelica smiled brightly. "Then you can sit down here and start talking to Madison about Chopped."

"Angelica." Jefferson leapt up from the table as Church sat down. "You made it. I was beginning to worry that Hamilton had decided to keep you and your charming sister all to himself."

"Not quite." Angelica pretended that Jefferson's allusion to Alexander didn't bother her.

"I'm glad." Jefferson's smile was shamelessly worshipful. "May I have this dance?"

He looked at Church as he walked past the table to where Angelica was hovering above the seat next to Church. Church smiled in easy acquiescence. He really did trust Angelica beyond comprehension.

"You may." Angelica accepted Jefferson's hand and allowed herself to be drawn towards the dance floor.

From there, it was a rapid succession of dances. Jefferson claimed the first few before Madison dutifully cut in. It was only because he couldn't find Dolly and no longer wanted to listen to all of her friends talk about the theater program, but Angelica didn't mind. She liked Madison. She didn't like him the same way that she liked Jefferson, of course, but she liked him enough that she gladly sacrificed a few dances for him. Then James McHenry cut in for one dance. He was a terrible dancer, but he'd been in love with Angelica since the third grade, so she let it slide. After McHenry, John Laurens interjected. That was a bit of a curveball. Angelica suspected Laurens might have asked her to dance solely to get a rise out of Alexander. Either way, he was a good dancer and knew gossip about everyone surrounding him, which made him an astonishingly adequate partner. Finally, Jefferson commanded the last dance before it was time to announce the prom king and queen.

Angelica would have much preferred to spend her evening dancing with every boy that asked, occasionally checking in with Church between songs, instead of having to endure the unnecessary drama of the proclamation of prom king and queen. But, she recognized that it was a tradition and so she kept her mouth shut about the whole matter.

Instead, she settled in her seat next to Church and waited for her name to be announced.

"And the prom queen is…Angelica Schuyler!"

Well, that was hardly a shock.

Still, Angelica mustered as big of a smile as she could when she received the tacky tiara and sash. She then scoured the crowd for the prospective prom king.

"As for the prom king…Alexander Hamilton, come on up!"

Okay, _that_ was a shock.

Alexander left Eliza's side to bound up the stairs and received his own tacky crown and sash. He grinned at Angelica as he was crowned.

"Now," The announcer, a teacher that Angelica had never had, said with a knowing smile. "It's time for the king and queen to have their first dance."

Angelica turned to look at Alexander in surprise. She hadn't expected to dance with Alexander. She didn't expect to dance with him ever again. She had expected their dance in the bar to be their first and last dance, all in one.

But Alexander didn't look so surprised. He held out his hand towards Angelica, a good-natured smile on his face. Angelica took his hand, trying her very best to ignore the tingles that erupted all of her body.

Once they were on the dance floor, Alexander pulled her close and began to sway to the music. And, unexpectedly, everything but him disappeared plain off the face of the earth. Martha wasn't watching, sighing over every misstep. The school wasn't taking pictures, all entertaining the idea of Angelica stealing her little sister's boyfriend. Jefferson wasn't seething in a corner. Church wasn't standing by, smiling indulgently. There was only Angelica and Alexander.

"You look beautiful tonight, Annie." Alexander murmured, his mouth next to Angelica's ear. She shivered at the warmth of his breath. "I hope Church told you that."

He hadn't.

"We got a 98% on our government paper." Angelica had just asked about their grade the Friday afternoon before prom weekend.

"I know." Alexander hummed. "We deserved higher."

"It's impossible to get a perfect score."

"Only if there's an error. There were no errors in our paper." Alexander rumbled, his lips curving upwards into a smile. "We were robbed."

"Somehow, I can't bring myself to mind." Angelica remarked. "Because it doesn't really matter what I got on the paper; I got the same grade as you. You're the only person I have to beat out in order to become the valedictorian. I'm putting my time and energy into classes where we aren't getting the same grade."

"What did you get on the literature exam last week?"

"A 94%. How about you?" Angelica tilted her chin up just enough to make eye contact with Alexander.

He looked down at her, his eyes alight. "An 83%."

"Really? You got a B on the essay about the _Great Gatsby_?"

"I didn't finish the book."

"No," Angelica's jaw hung slack with surprise. "You read like 4 books a week!"

"I've been busy." Alexander admitted. "College applications, other classes…I just fell behind."

"I'm going to beat you."

"I believe you." Alexander said, his mouth quirking into a grin.

Neither of them mentioned Eliza during the course of the dance. It further emphasized Angelica's belief that while they were dancing, they were the only two people on the face of the earth.

But like all things, the dance ended. The music stopped playing and suddenly Alexander was not holding Angelica to his chest. In fact, he was moving farther away from her. If he moved any farther, he would be…

Out of her arms.

He stepped out of them as easily as a hot knife gliding through butter. He had no idea that Angelica's heart tore out of her chest - it went with him as he crossed the room and rejoined Eliza. As if he was hell-bent on dealing out as much damage as he could, he then broke the heart that he had wrongfully stolen in the first place. He removed the crown from his head and placed it on Eliza's head, ducking down to kiss her afterwards. Angelica couldn't bring herself to look away.

"May I have this dance?" Jefferson asked from behind her. Angelica turned around slowly, trying to force herself to smile.

"Okay." She agreed without much conviction.

Jefferson smiled at her kindly before enveloping her in his arms. He wasn't quite the light-footed, perfect-posture kind of dancer that Alexander was, but in that moment, Angelica was glad that his style was closer to hugging than dancing.

"Are you okay?" He asked after a few seconds.

"What do you mean?" Angelica asked, trying her best to sound unaffected.

"Angelica, you are extremely talented at a number of things," Jefferson said, his tone playful yet unmistakably gentle. "Acting isn't one of them. I saw your face during that dance. How are you, really?"

Angelica made a pitiful sound and buried her face in Jefferson's shoulder. "I'm terrible, Tom."

"Would you like me to break Hamilton's nose? Might make you like him less." Jefferson offered, most likely only half-joking.

Angelica smiled against his shoulder, her tears undoubtedly staining the fabric of his much-too-casual suit. "No. The flightless bird effect might make me love him even more."

"Then I'll shave his head when he passes out at some after-party tonight. Do you like bald guys?" Jefferson tried again, nudging Angelica's face with his shoulder just enough to look into her eyes.

Angelica laughed and shook her head. "I'll be okay, Tom. Really. But thank you."

She meant it.

Jefferson accepted her answer and remained silent for the duration of the dance. Angelica was glad. She didn't want to speak to him about Alexander. Not when the wound was so fresh.

Once the dance had ended and Angelica had convinced Jefferson to return to the table, Angelica stepped outside of the hotel to "cool off." That was to say, she was escaping Church, who had spent every moment that Angelica wasn't dancing alluding to a hotel room that he had reserved for the night. Hard as it would be to keep Church from said hotel room, Angelica had promised Eliza that she would go to Laurens' after party to serve as moral support. It was hardly a hardship, forgoing Church's promise of a night alone in a hotel room in order to pal around with Alexander during a party.

Outside, she found John Laurens and Alexander sitting on the curbs, smoking cigarettes. Ignoring the fact that they were definitely ruining their trousers, Angelica folded her arms across her chest as they turned around to look at her.

"I didn't know that you smoked." She remarked, her eyes fixed on Alexander.

Alexander patted the space on the curb next to him.

"My dress costs about a semester of tuition." Angelica shook her head.

Alexander smiled patronizingly and removed his jacket, placing it down on the curb for Angelica to sit on. Angelica rolled her eyes, but obliged. She would let Alexander worry about his ruined clothes. She had enough problems of her own.

"Don't tell Eliza." He said with an apologetic smile, exhaling a thin cloud of smoke. Angelica assumed that he was referring to his apparent smoking habit. "It's a special occasion. Why aren't you in Church's hotel room, anyway? He hasn't exactly made his plans a secret."

"He can plan all he wants. I'm still going to act on my own volition." Angelica asserted. "And I've already made plans to go to Laurens' party."

Laurens turned to look at her in surprise. "I don't remember inviting you."

"Are you kidding me?" Angelica asked irritably. "What is this, an elementary school birthday party? Did you send out little invites?"

"Tease all you want. I'm not inviting you unless you ask nicely. Or you could beg." Laurens decided, looking down at the cigarette in his hand thoughtfully. "I might like it better if you begged."

Angelica offered Laurens a nice view of her middle finger. "Eliza invited me."

Alexander smiled grimly. "Is she still nervous about tonight?"

"You know?" Angelica couldn't help but ask in surprise. "How do you know?"

"She tells me everything." Alexander flicked some ashes onto the ground and stomped them out with his right foot. He then looked at Angelica, his smile still grim. "You remember when people told us that prom was going to be the best night of our lives?"

People started pouring out of the hotel, piling into cars and limos and discussing after parties. It was easy to infer that prom had ended. Alexander put out his cigarette as Angelica stood up and brushed off the jacket that she had been sitting on. It wasn't really salvageable, but that didn't mean that she couldn't try. When Alexander was done putting out his cigarette, he took the jacket from Angelica with a smile of gratitude.

They then returned to the ballroom to find their respective dates. Laurens, meanwhile, departed to prepare for his party.

* * *

Laurens' party was a rager. It wasn't likely that he intended it to be; he had, after all, asked the first few people if they were invited, indicating that he was attempting to control the amount of people that entered his hotel room. As the night dragged on, however, it quickly became evident that 3/4 of the people occupying the room had not been invited.

"Jeez, this hotel room is so crowded." Church looked around, clutching his watered-down beer tight to his chest. "Y'know, there's no one in my hotel room right now. It's just sitting there, empty…"

He'd been hinting at the hotel room he'd reserved non-stop.

But Eliza was desperate to keep Angelica at the party. Alexander had drank a Yeungling and Eliza had apparently seen one too many "teen drinking leads to teen pregnancy" afterschool specials. She genuinely believed that Alexander would become belligerently drunk with each gulp of beer he downed.

"Honey, he's fine." Angelica assured her as she fretted in a corner, watching as Alexander conversed with Laurens, still sipping at the same beer he'd been nursing all night long. "I've been around him when he's had a beer. He's the exact same."

"Does he drink often?" Eliza turned to look at Angelica, her eyes innocent and wide. "Is it…a problem?"

Oh, she was so naïve.

"No, Eliza. Alex doesn't have a drinking problem. He drinks beer for the same reason that you drink a Diet Coke whenever you have pizza; he likes the taste. He won't get drunk off of one beer. I promise. And if he does, he won't pressure you into doing anything that you don't want to. He's one of the good ones, honey. I promise."

"But what if…"

Alexander had caught on to the fact that Eliza was spending the whole party worrying in the corner. He excused himself from whatever conversation he had been carrying on with Laurens and crossed the room to stand beside Angelica. He smiled at Eliza out of nothing short of complete adoration.

"Betsey." It was incredible to observe how quickly the sound of his voice put her at ease. It was like the two of them had some sort of strange control over one another. "Why don't I take you home?"

Eliza teared up. "I ruined your prom, didn't I?"

"Not at all, honey." Alexander's smile never faltered. "I had a great night. Probably one of the best I've had in a while."

Angelica did not want to stand here, to watch Alexander comfort Eliza, but she found that her feet were stuck to the ground beneath her. She could not command her limbs to carry her away from this strange form of torture. She was forced to watch as Alexander put his hands on either side of Eliza's shoulder and gaze into her eyes, that loving smile still on his face.

"I love every minute I get to spend with you, no matter where we are." He told her.

"Why don't I take you home, honey?" Angelica asked, hoping to end this scene as quickly as possible. Eliza turned to look at her, her cheeks wet with tears.

"I don't…" Angelica understood immediately. Though Eliza was uncomfortable with the entire situation, she did not want to leave Alexander alone at the after-prom. She was worried that something might happen. The after school specials reared their ugly head again. Angelica could practically see every fear of Eliza's like a film strip: some drunk girl seducing Alexander, Alexander getting out of control and falling victim to alcohol poisoning, Alexander's drunken friends offering to drive him home and crashing the car…

Angelica looked at Alexander, silently conveying Eliza's fears. He understood immediately.

"Do you mind if I come with you? Maybe hang around and watch a movie?" He asked, pretending that he was also eager to get out of Laurens' hotel room. "I'm pretty beat, and I doubt this is going to end anytime soon."

"I'd like that." Eliza was clearly delighted.

"Great." Alexander was an amazing actor. His relieved smile looked genuine. "I'll let you pick the movie. Can't relive the horror movie fainting spell again."

Eliza just smiled and grabbed Alexander's hand. She didn't need to say anything. Every line on her face etched out the words "I love you." Her posture radiated joy. There was practically a pink aura around her conveying one giant message of adoration.

Church slunk out of the hotel along with them, taking a seat in the passenger seat while Alexander and Eliza crawled into the backseat. They didn't stop holding hands as they put on their seatbelst. It looked like it caused more trouble than it was worth, but neither of them complained. Angelica wanted to roll her eyes at the ridiculousness of it, but she couldn't. Because she was jealous. Because if she was Eliza, she would never let Alexander go; no matter how much trouble it caused.

But instead of holding her hand, Church fidgeted and squirmed the entire car ride to the Schuyler mansion. He alluded to the hotel room a few more times. He tried to get Eliza and Alexander to insist that they wanted to be left alone for the night. He did everything just shy of pleading.

As they pulled up into the driveway, Eliza and Alexander climbed out, still holding hands. Church remained seated and buckled-in, as though he and Angelica had already settled the matter of the hotel room. Angelica remained in her seat, too. Church's hotel reservation was hardly the most romantic gesture she'd ever heard of, but she'd thrown in her lot with him. It was the closest thing she was going to get to romance from him.

"Do you want to watch a movie with us?" Eliza asked politely, looking through Church's window as she spoke. It was obvious that she would be happy with Alexander whether or not Angelica and Church joined them, but she would not begrudge Angelica for imposing on her alone time with Alexander, either.

"Yeah, Annie, I'd love it if you'd join us." Alexander's smile suggested that he was trying to save her from a fate with Church that they both knew was as inevitable as the rising sun. "Maybe we could watch that episode of SNL that you were telling me about."

"Maybe another time." Angelica said with a sad smile. "But thank you for offering. Really."

"Of course." Alexander's smile was grim. "Have a nice night, Annie."

"You too." Angelica meant it. She hated it, but she did mean it.

"You ready to go?" Church asked, trying his best - unsuccessfully - to check his giddy tone.

"Okay." Angelica agreed, glancing down at the gear shift before throwing the car into reverse and driving off in the direction of their waiting hotel room.

* * *

 **Rewind**

"Hey, Annie." Alexander materialized at Angelica's side as she was taking books out of her locker. He leaned against the locker next to hers; Aaron Burr's locker. Aaron would be around to grab his AP US History textbook at any time now. He'd be annoyed to see Alexander occupying the space yet again. Angelica didn't really care.

"Hey, Alex." She looked at him for a split second before returning her focus to her locker combination. She was always forgetting her locker combination. If she spent too much time staring into Alexander's eyes, she would lose her focus and have to go to AP Lit without Beowulf.

"How has your day been?" He didn't seem bothered by Angelica's dedication to opening her locker.

Angelica rolled her eyes and smiled, still keeping her gaze fixed on her lock. "You've seen me all day."

"Not all day." Alexander said, his voice tilting up to suggest that there was a hidden implication behind his statement.

Just as Angelica opened her mouth to ask exactly what he meant, her locker swung open and dumped at least three dozen roses everywhere. There were roses on the floor, roses covering Angelica's textbooks, roses sprawled in front of Aaron's locker. Which was convenient, since Aaron had just entered the scene.

"What's this?" Angelica asked, turning to look at Alexander in surprise.

"And why is it all over my locker?" Aaron added dismally.

Both Angelica and Alexander ignored Aaron.

"I want you to go to prom with me, Annie." Alexander explained, picking up one of the roses that had fallen to the floor and holding it out to Angelica. She accepted it as he spoke. "And I had to make sure that you would say yes."

"Of course I'll go to prom with you, Alex." Angelica laughed. "You didn't have to buy every flower in the vicinity to convince me."

"Can this moment be over now? We only have two minutes left until class starts." Aaron grumbled. Again, Angelica and Alexander ignored him.

"You're a tough cookie to crack. I never know when enough is enough for you." Alexander insisted, tilting his head as he smiled at Angelica.

"Your finger is bleeding." Angelica had glanced down and noticed a fat droplet of blood pooling at the tip of Alexander's pointer finger.

"I know." Alexander looked down at the blood sheepishly. He removed a Kleenex from his pocket and wiped it off. "I snagged it on a thorn when I was handing it to you. I just didn't want to ruin the moment by mentioning it."

"Oh, you don't think bleeding is romantic?" Angelica teased.

"Not particularly, no." Alexander chuckled. "But you'll really go to prom with me?"

"Yes, Alex. I'll really go to prom with you."

"Can I please get my book?" Aaron groaned.

"And you won't go with Jefferson?" Alexander continued ignoring Aaron. It was turning into a joke for them.

"Tom hasn't even asked me." Angelica folded her arms across her chest, still smiling. "Did you ask me just so that he couldn't?"

"Of course not." Alexander pretended to be shocked by Angelica's accusation. "But even if I had; it's too late. You already agreed."

"Let's talk about this at length." Angelica suggested.

"Ugh, I hate you guys." Aaron groaned, shoulder his backpack and storming down the halls without his textbook. There was less than thirty seconds until class began. Aaron would not have his textbook in AP US History.

Alexander grinned at Angelica. "That was fun."

"Better than the roses." Angelica agreed.

"Better than the roses." Alexander echoed with a laugh. "I'll keep that in mind. Tormenting Burr is probably cheaper, too."

Angelica nodded thoughtfully. The bell rang overhead. Alexander looked at Angelica expectantly; it was time to go to AP Lit.

"I don't want to read Beowulf today." Angelica decided. "I think I'm going to go to the library and start my Valedictorian speech."

"Skip class and you won't be writing that speech." Alexander hummed, tucking his books under his arm and following Angelica down the hall. His math class was in the same direction as the library.

"Mmm. Worry about your own grades." Angelica wrinkled her nose.

"I wish I could." Alexander looked down at her with a small smile. He leaned over and kissed her nose. "But I'm too worried about yours to even consider my own. I've really got to go to class, though. If I don't start comprehending this stuff now, I'm going to be a recluse for finals week. I love you, Annie."

"And I love you, Alex." Angelica smiled as Alexander disappeared into his math class.

* * *

Alexander didn't have the money to afford a fancy prom. Angelica knew that from the start. So she made all of the arrangements and let him focus on his math class. They would have dinner at a terrible little Tex Mex restaurant that Angelica had found after extensive research. It looked almost exactly like the bar that Aaron had chosen in Philadelphia. Best of all, the prices were dirt cheap. Based off of the reviews posted online, it appeared to possible that they might get food poisoning, but they would worry about that if and when it actually happened.

After dinner, Angelica would drive them to prom in her father's car. She'd already asked. She didn't need a limo. Limos were gaudy.

Alexander insisted on being in charge of his tuxedo. Angelica didn't argue. Alexander knew what he looked good in, she had to hand it to him.

That left the after-prom plans. It was a high point of contention for them. Alexander wanted to go to John Laurens' after-party in a hotel he'd rented. Angelica wanted to go to Thomas Jefferson's party at Monticello. His parents were in Richmond for the weekend, so the house was all his.

But that was a problem for the end of the evening. Right now, it was the beginning and everything was magical.

"Angelica!" Martha Washington glided across the ballroom, apparently delighted to see Angelica. "Sugar, how are you? Oh, you look so beautiful!"

"Martha." Alexander growled through gritted teeth. He looked around the ballroom anxiously. "What are you doing here?"

"I volunteered to chaperone, sugar." Martha answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Your school called and said that they were in desperate need of volunteers. Otherwise your prom would have been cancelled."

"Way to save the day, Martha." Angelica said, shooting Alexander a playful smile. She knew that he would not like having his foster mom chaperoning the prom, but she herself hardly minded. She loved Martha. The woman had taken to her like a second daughter, and Angelica had taken to Martha like a second mother. Possibly a friendlier mother.

"Is George here, too?" Alexander looked around, embarrassment written clear across his face. Angelica rolled her eyes, not understanding why he was being so dramatic about Martha's presence. It was likely that she would spend her time at the prom dancing the night away, not busting drunk teenagers.

"Unfortunately not, sugar. He had a meeting tonight." Martha replied easily enough. "But don't let me get in your way. Go on and dance with your beautiful girl."

"Thank you, Martha." Angelica smirked at Martha before grabbing Alexander's hand and leading him over to a table where Jefferson, Madison, Dolly, Aaron Burr, and a few other classmates were sitting. Alexander looked over at Laurens' table wistfully.

"Angelica." Jefferson grinned as Angelica took a seat at the table. "You made it. I was beginning to think that Hamilton was going to keep you all to himself for the evening."

"Wasn't like I didn't try." Alexander grumbled good-naturedly, glancing at Angelica.

"Then I'm glad it didn't work." Jefferson's smile was shameless. "May I have this dance?"

"Mmm." Angelica wrinkled her nose, looking over at Alexander. Alexander looked back at her, neither critical nor approving. He was just watching, waiting to see what she would do. He would not condemn her for her choice, no matter what that choice was. "I think I'd rather dance with Alexander first. I mean, just look at him in that tuxedo of his. You're just in a linen suit, Thomas. That merits a second dance at best."

But Angelica was fair. She let Alexander monopolize her first dances, but she danced with others, too. Jefferson insisted on claiming the sixth dance, before Alexander kept her all night without Angelica realizing it. Madison dutifully cut in for the seventh dance. It was only because he couldn't find Dolly and felt uncomfortable sitting at the table with Alexander, the ghost of their former friendship haunting him, but Angelica didn't mind. She liked Madison. She didn't like him the same way that she liked Alexander and Jefferson, of course, but she liked him enough to sacrifice a dance to him. They talked about Macbeth. Madison loved Macbeth. Then James McHenry cut in for a dance. He was an awful dancer, but he'd been in love with Angelica since the third grade, so she let it slide. After McHenry, Laurens intervened. That was a bit of a surprise. It turned out that while Angelica was occupied with dancing with all of the boys in their class, Alexander had conspired with Laurens. He sent Laurens to dance with Angelica in an effort to persuade her to attend his after-party instead of Jefferson's. He wasn't all that good at making persuasive speeches, but he was a good dancer and he was a great gossip, which made him a fun dance partner.

After Laurens, Angelica settled into her seat next to Alexander, just in time for the proclamation of prom king and queen. It was overdramatic and stupid, but it was a tradition and she was undoubtedly going to win, so Angelica shut her mouth and smiled.

"You're beautiful." Alexander told her in a low voice as the announcer rambled on and on about what an honor it was to be declared prom queen.

Angelica turned to look at him, smiling. She still didn't know how to respond to Alexander's constant stream of compliments.

"And the prom queen is…Angelica Schuyler!"

Well, that was hardly a shock.

Still, Angelica mustered as big of a smile as she could when she received the tacky tiara and sash. She then scoured the crowd for the prospective prom king.

It was down to four potential kings: Alexander, Aaron, Jefferson, or Laurens. Each of them brought a different tone to the competition.

Alexander was…well, Alexander. It was so easy to fall in love with him. He was handsome and charming and absurdly devoted to the idea of chivalry. Aaron was handsome and very into structured cliques throughout the school. He gossiped and flirted and was at every party thrown by anyone of any social relevance at the school. He harbored the votes of the more catty students at the school. Jefferson was handsome and rich. He invited the rich snob vote. Laurens was a handsome, roguish figure that would only receive the votes of the hopeless girls he took on a single date and never called again.

"As for the prom king…Alexander Hamilton, come on up!"

Angelica smiled, surprised to realize that she was relieved. Since when had she started to care about something so stupid?

Alexander bounded up the stairs to receive his own tacky crown and sash. He grinned at Angelica as he was crowned.

"Now," The announcer, a teacher that Angelica had never had, said with a knowing smile. "It's time for the king and queen to have their first dance."

"First?" Angelica mouthed to Alexander, laughing.

"Just go with it." Alexander mouthed back, also laughing.

He held out his hand towards Angelica, grinning. Angelica took his hand, allowing goosebumps to erupt all over her body.

Once they were on the dance floor, Alexander pulled her close and began to sway with the music.

"I was hoping that I would win." He murmured as they moved.

"Were you really?" Angelica asked, mildly surprised. She couldn't imagine Alexander caring about stupid social trophies such as prom king.

"I was." Alexander confirmed, sensing Angelica's surprise. "I didn't want one of those other guys dancing with you again; not when you look so beautiful. And shiny." He was looking at the gaudy tiara placed atop her head.

Angelica rolled her eyes and pouted. Alexander just laughed.

"Not even Laurens?" She asked, hoping to draw Alexander's attention away from the gaudy tiara. "You sent him to hound me earlier."

Alexander sucked his teeth and shook his head. "I won't be making that mistake again. Now he's in love with you, too. You're something mystical, Annie. It's impossible not to fall in love with you."

"Laurens falls in love with anything in a dress." Angelica reminded him.

"That's true." Alexander hummed. "But I'm not taking any chances. The last thing I need is for him to steal you away when I'm stuck standing on the sidelines. Which is why I think that maybe we ought to go to Monticello after prom."

"Jefferson is already trying to get me to break up with you." Angelica reminded him, glancing over at where Jefferson was standing.

"But he hasn't yet." Alexander grinned. "Which is why I'm willing to take my chances with him."

"You're arrogant." Angelica accused him.

"I am." Alexander admitted, his mouth quirking into a grin. "But I'm also very much in love with you."

"Then you just might stand a chance."

The music stopped playing just as Alexander was leaning in to kiss Angelica. Neither of them really cared.

"I'm bored with prom." Alexander rumbled in Angelica's ear as the other students rushed back onto the dance floor. "I don't want to share you with everyone else. Can't I have you to myself for a little while?"

"Arrogant and selfish." Angelica admonished playfully. "How do you manage to get by?"

"Annie, I'm serious." Alexander looked into her eyes. His pupils, usually small and sharp, were roughly the size of a dime. That is to say, they were three times their normal size, threatening to swallow Angelica whole.

"Let's go outside." Angelica suggested. "Cool off a little bit. I've got some jeans in my car. I want to change out of my dress before I eat something of actual substance. After that, maybe we can go to the diner across the street, have a piece of cake, then head to Monticello."

That was obviously not what Alexander had in mind, but he didn't seem to mind. He smiled. "Yes, please."

Out they went. They stepped outside, only to find Laurens sitting on the curb and smoking a cigarette.

"You alright, pal?" Alexander asked, looking down at him curiously.

"Sure." Laurens answered, flicking some ash off of his finger. He looked at Angelica as he spoke. "Just got too crowded in there for my taste. What about you two? Sneaking off already? Martha'll notice, you know."

"Yeah." Alexander agreed, glancing back in the direction of the hotel. "Probably. But the food they're serving is terrible, so we're going to the diner for something better. Want to come?"

Laurens glanced at Angelica, very clearly trying to gauge how welcome he would be. Angelica looked back at him blankly. She did not want to seem fake by insisting that he tag along, but she wouldn't mind if he were there, either. Apparently, it was just the kind of attitude that Laurens had been looking for.

"Alright." He agreed at length. "Yeah, sure. There's another half an hour left of prom and I can't imagine being surrounded by those people for another minute."

Alexander and Laurens leaned against Angelica's car and talked while Angelica changed into clothes more comfortable than the dress that her mother had forced upon her when she heard that Angelica was a shoe-in for prom queen.

After Angelica emerged from her car, now donning jeans, a t-shirt, and a pair of keds, they walked down the street to a diner they had seen when they arrived at the hotel. Angelica offered to pick up the tab. It was the least she could do, she insisted, since Laurens had invited her to his party. He was apparently trying to keep the guest list exclusive. The boys reluctantly agreed.

It was a nice way to pass a half an hour. Angelica got a piece of cake that she knew would wreck her diet. Alexander got a burger. Laurens picked at the fries that came with Alexander's burger and eventually snuck a piece of Angelica's cake when he thought that she wasn't looking.

When it came time for Laurens to leave to begin setting up for his party, Angelica said something she had not pictured herself saying when the night began.

"Why don't we help?"

Alexander turned to look at her in surprise. "I thought you wanted to go to Monticello?"

Angelica shook her head, smiling. "I've got all summer to spend time at Monticello. Let's go to this party for a little while."

* * *

"You're good for him." Laurens remarked a few hours later at the party. It could have been the half a dozen shots of Jager that he had consumed in a rather short period of time, or it could have been the spirit of the evening, but while Alexander was off trying to find a bathroom not occupied by drunk teenagers fumbling with drugs, Laurens looked at Angelica like he had just figured her out. "I thought that you would be bad for him, but you're not."

"Thanks. I think." Angelica smirked, sipping at her glass of (boxed) wine slowly.

"I didn't mean that as an insult." Laurens insisted. "The exact opposite, actually. I've just…I've never liked one of Alexander's girlfriends before. They're always trying to bridle him; trying to get him to settle down and stop trying to accomplish things. You're not like that, though. You're really just here to work with him, aren't you?"

"You're losing me, John." Angelica admitted, hopping up to perch on the hotel's grubby counter while Laurens struggled to find the right words.

"You and him. You're a team. Your problems are still your problems, and his problems are still his problems, but you help each other out when you have the time and resources. But you still have separate lives, y'know? Most of his old girlfriends wouldn't have come to my party. Most of his girlfriends didn't like me. Didn't like how Alex acted around me. Y'know?"

"Sure, John." Angelica smiled, taking another sip of the wine. "Anyway, I think you're good for him, too. He seems much more confident around you. Less like he has to try to prove himself."

"Hammie's never been very confident about his social standing." Laurens sighed, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. He glanced at Angelica as he placed a cigarette between his lips. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all." Angelica's brother smoked. He often smoked on his balcony, which resulted in smoke filling Angelica's room whenever she opened her window. Secondhand smoke had stopped bothering her years ago.

Laurens nodded and lit the cigarette.

"Ugh, John." The smoke might not have bothered Angelica, but it seemed to bother Billy Duer. "Take that outside, man."

Laurens shrugged and nodded towards the hotel balcony, inviting Angelica to join him. Angelica shrugged and followed along.

"You're going to school in England next year, aren't you?" Laurens asked once they had settled on the balcony. They were both sitting on rickety hotel furniture that neither of them trusted too much. They both kept their feet on the ground, just in case.

Angelica nodded. "Oxford."

"Nice." Laurens sighed, exhaling smoke. "Hammie's been talking about it for a while. He's going to be sorry to see you go, from the sound of it. Are you two planning on keeping in touch while you're away?"

"You're nosy." Angelica told him.

Laurens smiled toothily. "Just a concerned friend."

"We haven't really talked about it." Angelica told him. She didn't know why.

"You ought to. He's been worrying himself sick about it for weeks now." Laurens said thoughtfully.

"Maybe I will." Angelica mused, taking a long sip of wine.

"There you are." Alexander materialized in the doorway of the balcony. "I thought you might've gone home."

"Nah. Duer just kicked me out. Angelica was keeping me company during my exile." Laurens replied, smirking at Angelica before returning his attention to his cigarette.

"Well, look at you two. Bonding." Alexander took a seat next to Angelica on the rickety chair, smiling at her approvingly.

"Mm. Sort of. We were telling embarrassing stories about you." Angelica lied, wrinkling her nose as she smiled at Alexander playfully.

"Ah. Which one?" Alexander didn't seem to mind.

"The one where you cried during _Parent Trap_." Laurens answered, using the same bored tone that he always employed when saying something particularly funny.

Angelica turned to look at Alexander, her eyes alight with amusement. "You cried during _Parent Trap_?"

"It was a sad movie!" Alexander argued, trying to pretend to be outraged when he was really just as amused as Angelica was.

That's how they spent their evening. Angelica and Laurens becoming fast friends - often by joking at Alexander expense - on the balcony of Laurens' hotel room. The guests eventually cleared out, allowing Laurens to smoke in the sanctity of his own hotel room, but Alexander and Angelica remained behind to help him clean up. Teenagers really did make a tremendous mess when they partied. Once the room was cleaned up, it was four in the morning and neither Alexander nor Angelica were sober enough to drive. So Laurens invited them to stay in the hotel room until checkout time the next morning. Instead of insisting on sleeping in the main bedroom of the room, Alexander removed the cushions from the couch and the chairs and threw them on the floor. He sprawled across them and wrapped an arm loosely around Angelica while Laurens told a story about Alexander getting stuck in a slide when they were eight.

That's where they fell asleep, laying on cushions on the floor of Laurens' hotel room, like one giant sleepover. It wasn't glamorous. It wasn't the kind of ending that you see to movies about high school parties, but it was by far one of the best nights of Angelica Schuyler's teenaged life.

* * *

 **I know - teenage drinking is bad, but at least they didn't drive that night! Anyway, I apologize to everyone waiting patiently (and some of you, less patiently) for me to update every Friday. I'm a law school student with very limited time, so I am doing the absolute best that I can! That said, the semester is getting crazy and papers on Coram Nobis take priority over fanfiction, unfortunately. :(**

 **Still, things should hopefully slow down soon. Till such time, enjoy this latest chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

George and Martha were hosting a graduation day brunch. They had invited Eliza, who was - of course - going to the graduation ceremony to cheer on both Alexander and Angelica. Once they invited Eliza, they decided to make it a family soiree. So Angelica was forced to tag along to Mount Vernon to watch Alexander and Eliza fawn over each other for three hours before the graduation ceremony.

"Girls!" Martha was thrilled to see them. She pulled Angelica and Eliza into a hug that just about crushed them both. "I'm so glad that you could make it! George, the Schuylers are here! Alexander, Eliza is here!"

"Did Angelica come?" Alexander called, the sound of his footsteps sounding down the hall.

Angelica's heart leaped. Alexander was asking for her, not Eliza.

He appeared behind Martha. "Annie, there you are. Did you bring your speech? I wanted to practice mine, maybe get some criticism, and I thought that you'd give me the most honest criticism."

"Alexander, brunch is in ten minutes." George reminded him sternly, walking into the lobby.

Martha stepped back from the doorway, allowing the Schuylers into the mansion.

"Can't we eat in my room?" Alexander pleaded. "This is important. It's my speech. I'll be free to attend all of the brunches that you want this summer, I just really need not to mess up this speech. Please."

"Let them go." Martha rolled her eyes, smiling good-naturedly. "But bring your plates back down when you're done."

"Yes, Martha." Alexander grinned before grabbing Angelica's hand and dragging her into the kitchen.

"Grab some food." He instructed her, piling food onto a plate of his own. "This might take a little while. My rough draft is thirty pages long."

"Thirty pages?" Angelica asked, astonished. "But you're only the salutatorian!"

Angelica had managed to become the valedictorian through several nights of studying and crying. Alexander was stuck as the salutatorian, left to make a speech after Angelica's headliner speech.

"I've got a lot to say," Alexander said sheepishly, watching as Angelica stacked her plate with croissants and scrambled eggs and spinach.

"Mine is five pages and I thought _that_ was long." Angelica teased, following Alexander up the hauntingly familiar path to his bedroom. She could hear Eliza telling Martha about her summer plans. She didn't seem worried about the two of them disappearing to Alexander's bedroom. Angelica wished that she was worthy of her sister's trust.

"Congratulations on making valedictorian, by the way," Alexander said, opening his bedroom window and climbing out onto the roof. Angelica followed after him, carefully clutching her plate.

"Thank you. I told you that it would happen."

"I never doubted you for a minute." Alexander wasn't lying. Angelica couldn't prove it, she just knew it.

"So let's hear that thirty-page speech of yours." Angelica settled onto the roof, preparing to hear the lengthy speech that Alexander had created.

It was good. Angelica hated to admit it, but she could not think of a single page worth taking out of the speech. So when Alexander looked at her, his lavender eyes sparkling and his mouth set in that hopeful grin of his, she didn't quite know what to tell him.

"I think it's great, Alex." The truth. What a rarity. "Really. I don't know what you should take out. I think that it all flows together perfectly."

"I can't give a speech that's thirty pages long." Alexander reminded her, still grinning. "You said so yourself."

"And you've got a lot to say." Angelica reminded him playfully. "You said so yourself. Keep the speech. If the school doesn't like it, they can set a limit next year."

So they reached an agreement; Alexander would keep his thirty pages so long as he told everybody - only half-jokingly - that Angelica had told him months ago that she would beat him out for valedictorian, and that she had proven him wrong in accomplishing this feat. It wasn't much of a concession. Alexander willingly acknowledged this fact every time that Angelica brought it up. It seemed to Angelica that Alexander was prouder of her accomplishment than she was.

When they arrived at the football stadium where the graduation ceremony was to be held, Church materialized by Angelica's side. Alexander cast her an amused smirk before wandering off in the direction of the stage. While most of the students would spend the ceremony sitting on folding chairs, Alexander and Angelica would spend the ceremony onstage. Only the valedictorian and the salutatorian were allowed this "honor."

"There you are." He beamed. "I've been looking all over for you! I know you only have a minute before you have to take the stage, I just wanted to wish you luck. I know that you'll do great."

He pulled Angelica into a crushing hug before he was even finished talking, wrinkling her graduation gown and knocking her cap askew in the process. Though he was only trying to be nice, Angelica's eyes narrowed and her mouth curved downwards into a harsh frown.

"Church, you're messing up my cap." She complained, squirming out of the hug.

"Sorry, Ang." Church smiled sheepishly.

"Mm." Angelica forgave him with the ghost of a smile. "I have to go now. The ceremony's going to start any minute."

"Okay." Church was miraculously forgiving of Angelica's impatience. "Good luck."

"Thank you." Angelica did her best to muster a smile before darting off in the direction of the stage to join Alexander. Church, meanwhile, found his seat in the sea of folding chairs.

"Are you ready?" Alexander asked as Angelica took a seat next to him on the stage.

The school's principal cleared her throat at the podium. The ceremony was beginning to start.

As Angelica watched the principle struggle through her keynote address, she began to get nervous. She had never spoken publicly before. Sure, she'd spoken in front of a judge in mock trial, but that was in a courtroom full of 20 people at most. Now, they were looking at 100 people who all knew Angelica. All of those people were expecting Angelica to say something of importance; something that mattered.

"I can't do this." She whispered to Alexander, her lips trembling.

He wouldn't understand. He had written 30 pages of perfection. He had so many important things to say that he had to sort them 1-100 by priority. He lived for public speaking opportunities.

When he looked over at her, though, his eyes were full of understanding. His mouth tilted up into a reassuring smile. He reached out beneath his robes and took Angelica's hand in his. His hand was clammy and just a little bit too warm, but Angelica held it tight like a lifeline.

Eliza couldn't see it. That was how Angelica justified herself. The crowd couldn't see their hands past the stately podium and the pile of robes surrounding both Angelica and Alexander. And even if they could, this was a completely platonic interaction. Angelica was scared. Alexander was comforting her. Almost like a brother.

Of course, Angelica didn't believe herself. Not even a little bit. She loved Alexander just as much as she had when she left him waiting at the liberty bell. But Alexander loved Eliza, which was what kept this interaction acceptable. That did not soothe Angelica's aching heart, though.

"And now, our class valedictorian - Angelica Schuyler - has a speech prepared." The principal turned around to smile at Angelica proudly. Angelica didn't notice. She was looking at Alexander. He smiled and nodded slightly. He mouthed the words "you've got this." Angelica nodded dimly, releasing Alexander's hand and stumbling up to the podium.

"Hi, guys." She started off her speech, smiling nervously. There was laughter from the crowd. That was when Angelica knew that Alexander was right. She had this.

Her speech went well. By the time it was over, there was a standing ovation. People threw their caps up onto the stage. Angelica caught one of them. Judging by the design on the back, she figured that it was Jefferson's. She winked at the crowd and brought it with her to her seat. As she sat back down, she locked eyes with Alexander. He was grinning at her proudly. His eyes were gleaming. Somehow, that was worth more to Angelica than the applause of a hundred classmates.

"You're up." She told him with a smile. She knew that his speech would outshine hers, but she couldn't bring herself to mind.

"I -" Alexander said as he stood up from his seat. He paused and turned around to look at her again. "Good speech, Annie."

Angelica beamed as Alexander took the podium.

"Hi, everyone. I'd like to start off my speech by congratulating you all on making it to this finishing point - even when none of us thought we would make it - but the fact is, Annie made me promise that I would tell you all that I started out the semester as the valedictorian, but she told me from the get-go that she would beat me out for it. As you can see, Annie has never been one to shy away from a challenge." After Alexander began this part of his speech, he turned around to smile at Angelica. She smiled back at him, her heart hammering against her chest. Maybe he belonged to Eliza, but that didn't mean that she couldn't savor this moment.

The rest of Alexander's speech was a call for action. It was encouraging his peers to seek out further education. It was instructing them to find a lesson in everything, whether they were going to college or straight to work. It was promoting the idea of learning constantly.

Alexander Hamilton really was too good for this world.

* * *

"Your speech was so good!" Eliza exclaimed as both Angelica and Alexander found their families. The Washingtons were with the Schuylers. Philip and George were having a lively conversation about something or the other. Martha and Eliza were smiling at Angelica and Alexander. Mrs. Schuyler was lecturing Philip Jr. for cheering too loudly during the ceremony.

"Which one?" Alexander asked playfully, wrapping an arm around Eliza's waist and kissing her forehead.

"Both of them," Eliza said decidedly.

"She liked mine best," Angelica smirked. Alexander shook his head, grinning.

"Angelica!" Jefferson bounded over to the group. "Hey, congratulations. That was one hell of a speech. Are you coming to my party this afternoon?"

Angelica turned to look at Alexander. George and Martha were looking at Jefferson curiously. Jefferson noticed just a second too late. Angelica took advantage of it. "Is Alexander invited, too?"

"Of course." Jefferson tried to sound optimistic, but his facial expression gave him away. "Hamilton, you and Eliza are welcome to come, too. You know where my house is, don't you?"

"Sure do." Alexander grinned. "Betsey, you want to go?"

Eliza frowned. "I have tennis lessons at three o'clock. Unless I can skip them…" She looked at Mrs. Schuyler hopefully. Mrs. Schuyler shook her head.

Alexander nodded. "Too bad. Well, Annie and I will tell you all about it when we pick you up from practice, how about that?"

"Okay." Eliza didn't seem certain, but Angelica did not focus on that fact.

Alexander was going to go to Jefferson's party with her. It could be like the first party they went to together. They could find a corner together and people watch. Alexander could rant about Thomas' far-too-casual clothes. Angelica could laugh at Aaron trying to flirt with girls. They could play another prank on Alexander's friends. They could go back to Mount Vernon and eat cake and sit on the roof and talk about a future that didn't have to include Eliza or Church or anyone else.

"Great." Jefferson's smile looked more like a grimace. "Then I'll see you both there."

As he walked away, he crossed paths with Church. Church was newly freed from his family and headed for Angelica.

"Ang!" Sure enough, he broke through the barriers that Washington had created. "Hey! Your speech was fantastic! I don't think I've ever seen anyone in this school pay attention for more than three minutes before. Are you going to Jefferson's party? Billy just told me about it."

"Yeah, Alex and I are actually about to head over. Do you have a ride?" Angelica hoped that Billy had offered Church a ride. She didn't want to share a car with both Alexander _and_ Church.

"No," Church turned around to look at Billy. Billy was among a completely different group of people now. The chances of bumming a ride off of him were slim to none. "I didn't think to ask. Couldn't I just go with you?"

"Okay." Angelica reluctantly agreed. "Mama, do you mind if we go?"

Mrs. Schuyler looked at Angelica, a frown on her lips but a glimmer of amusement in her eyes. Angelica had asked her as an afterthought because she knew that once Alexander, Jefferson, and Church were counting on her to go, Mrs. Schuyler could not possibly refuse. Especially not in front of the Washingtons.

"As long as you pick your sister up from tennis afterward." Mrs. Schuyler decided, hoping to convey an air of authority.

"Yes, Mama." Angelica nodded, allowing Mrs. Schuyler this authority.

"Go." Mrs. Schuyler instructed, wanting to be annoyed without much success.

Angelica didn't need to be told twice. She smiled and grabbed Church's hand and pulled him in the direction of the parking lot. Alexander kissed Eliza's cheek before dashing off after them.

They ran all the way to the parking lot. Angelica wrenched open the car door and hopped in, trying to ignore the fact that Church took the passenger's seat. Alexander didn't seem to mind taking the back seat. Still, Angelica wished that Alexander would take the passenger's seat. She wished that he would hold her hand the entire way to Monticello, the way that he held Eliza's hand opening night of the play.

"Oh, uh, Alexander, I meant to tell you. Your speech was really great, too. What you said about finding the lesson in everything…I really get that, man. You learn something new every day." Church said as Angelica drove the all-too-familiar route to Monticello. "Guess I should be afraid to ask, but where are you going to school, anyway?"

"Columbia," Alexander answered bashfully. "Princeton wouldn't let me in."

"Really?" Angelica didn't know about that. "Princeton? They let Aaron Burr in!"

"Don't remind me." Alexander laughed. "When I heard that he got in, I cried myself to sleep for a week straight. But they're particular about their two-year program. The only person I know who has gotten in is Madison. I cried myself to sleep over that for three weeks. Can you believe that? _Madison_. He's only third in the class! He must be in every extracurricular in school to pull that off."

"He got a perfect score on his SATs." Angelica shrugged. "Maybe that's what did it."

"Did he really?" Alexander asked, leaning forward so his head was poking out into the space between Angelica and Church's arm rests. "Son of a bitch. That's only twenty points higher than me. What about you? What'd you get? Where are you going to school, anyway? How come I've never asked you that before?"

Angelica suspected that Alexander was speaking to her, but for some unfathomable reason, Church answered.

"I only got a 1760. Guess I'm a slacker next to you guys. But, uh,"

"We're here." Angelica interrupted as they pulled into the Monticello driveway. Oddly enough, though, she realized after speaking that she didn't know what Church was doing for college, either. She had spent most of her second semester worrying about herself.

She had applied to an exclusive study abroad program at Oxford. They had a great media program. It had been a shot in the dark, but somehow, Angelica had been accepted. She was flying to Oxford at the end of the summer. Far from Church. Far from Alexander. So it didn't really matter what Church was doing next year; Angelica would most likely find someone knew by the time the year ended. Hopefully, someone that could make her heart pound the way that Alexander Hamilton could.

"Angelica!" Jefferson lit up the moment they walked through the gate into Jefferson's spacious backyard. "You made it! And…you brought the local riff raff with you. Hamilton. Church." Jefferson nodded towards both Church and Alexander. Church smiled good-naturedly. Alexander smirked. "Can I get you a drink?"

"I'm okay," Angelica answered as Madison and Dolly made their way over to the group. "I have to pick Eliza up from her tennis lessons after this."

"Mm, I might have a gin." Alexander mused, his eyes flicking over to Madison. "Something just has me in the mood for some nice, bitter, pungent gin."

"Oh, god." Madison covered his mouth with his hand and ran off, most likely in the direction of the bathroom to vomit. Dolly frowned at Alexander before following after Madison.

"Fuck you, Hamilton." Jefferson scowled, taking off after Dolly and Madison.

"So." Alexander grinned as he turned around to look at Angelica and Church. He led them through the backyard in the direction of the outside bar. Angelica didn't bother asking how he knew where the bar was as he plucked his favorite brand of beer (which Angelica had memorized after so many nights out with Alexander) out of a cooler and flicked off the cap. "I believe we were talking about college before we were so rudely interrupted by Jefferson. Where are you two headed?"

"I'm going to Oxford," Angelica answered before Church could cut her off again.

"What?" Alexander's face dropped. "Oxford? Where's that? I mean…you're not…you can't mean _England_ , right?"

"I mean England." Angelica tried to act excited. It was surprisingly difficult when Alexander was looking at her like the news was breaking his heart. "I got accepted into their study abroad program for media studies."

"Media studies?" Smart as Alexander was, he didn't seem able to comprehend the meaning behind Angelica's words.

"I want to be a news anchor," Angelica replied with a smile and a shrug.

"Really? You?" Alexander's mouth curved into a small smile. "Are you going to be one of those saucy Fox news anchors? The dime piece in the room to make all of the politicians seem like they don't hate women?"

"Excuse you, I'll be a professional." Angelica pretended to be offended. "And I would never work for Fox news."

"And you're just going to let her go off to England to pursue this glamorous lifestyle?" Alexander asked, turning to look at Church. He was smiling playfully, but his tone was one that Angelica had never heard before. It was like he was searching for some kind of other answer.

"I'm actually going with her," Church responded with a grin.

"What?" Alexander and Angelica asked at the same time.

"Boy, you all look madder than a bat out of hell." John Laurens remarked, wandering over with a cigarette dangling from his lips. He nodded towards Angelica and Church before grinning at Alexander. "What, did Jefferson come over here and start telling you all about the show horse his dad's looking at?"

"Close," Alexander responded, eying Church warily. He was so clearly thrown off by Church's announcement that he didn't even scowl as Jefferson emerged from his mansion and approached them again.

Meanwhile, Angelica didn't look away from Church. She had not invited him to go with her to Oxford. She hadn't factored him in at all. When she made a list of apartment listings to call about, she hadn't even thought about where Church might sleep if he tagged along. They were all cramped studio apartments. Moreover, Angelica wasn't even sure that she _wanted_ Church there. This was going to be her adventure. This was going to be the first thing she ever did on her own.

"What's going on here?" Jefferson asked, looking from Alexander to Angelica suspiciously.

"Church is going with Angelica to England," Alexander answered.

Angelica raised her eyebrows, surprised that Alexander was the one to answer Jefferson's question.

"Really?" Jefferson folded his arms across his chest and turned to look at Church. "Then I guess I'll be seeing a lot of you two next year."

"Wait, _what_?" Alexander dropped the façade that he'd been working so hard to employ. " _You're_ going to England, too? And you knew that she was going in the first place?"

Okay, so Angelica had told Jefferson about her study abroad program instead of Alexander. To be fair, though, she got the phone call alerting her to her acceptance while she was out on a lunch date with Jefferson. Jefferson had consequently made a call to his father asking to use their summer home in France for the summer. He and Angelica had planned to spend the summer vacationing throughout France. Church was apparently going to ruin those plans.

"Of course I knew." Jefferson clearly enjoyed that fact. "But I'm not going to England. I'm going to William and Mary, but I'm spending the summer in France. It's just a few hours away from Oxford, so I thought I'd pop by and visit an old friend from time to time."

"I'm sure you did," Alexander said, his eyes narrowing. He then looked at Angelica. He wasn't smiling. His lips were tugging downward. "Annie, why didn't you tell me that you were going?"

"I never found the time," Angelica replied, quite truthfully. Alexander was always with Eliza.

"Never found the time?" Alexander echoed weakly.

"So, tell me, John." Jefferson was the only one who insisted on using Church's first name. "What're you doing in England? Did you get into the Oxford program, too?"

"No, of course not." Church laughed. "I'm not a genius like Ang is. But I worked it out with my dad. His company has a branch in London, which isn't too far from Oxford. My dad said I could start learning the ropes at his company while taking a few online courses and he'd pay for a house over there." He looked at Angelica, smiling sheepishly. "I didn't want to tell you until I knew that it was certain. I just closed a deal on a house in Oxford last week."

"Are you serious?" Mrs. Schuyler had insisted that Angelica pay for her own housing, as they were paying for the Oxford program itself. Angelica had been planning to live in pretty terrible places to be able to afford to eat through the school year.

"As a heart attack," Church answered, ducking his head down to get a better look at Angelica's facial expression. He was trying to gauge her reaction. "We can move in by the end of the summer. It's completely paid off; no mortgage or rent to worry about. And I'll be making six figures every year, so you don't have to worry about that awful part-time job you were looking at. You know, the one at the pub."

"That's…amazing." It solved Angelica's problems, but it took the adventure out of the whole thing. Next year was no longer Angelica's big, scary, exhilarating European adventure. It was now falling into the safety net of Church on an international basis. "Wow. I can't believe you would do that…without me even asking. Um. Wow. What a surprise. Um, I think I need a drink. To celebrate."

While Church stared after Angelica inquisitively and blearily fielded Jefferson's pointed questions about his and Angelica's future in England, Angelica stumbled across the yard to the outdoor bar. She poured herself a rather large glass of tequila, her hand trembling the whole time. Ruined. Her whole adventure was ruined. She couldn't reject Church's offer because it was so generous and so completely vital to her existence, but it was also so wholly unwelcome that she couldn't help but resent him for springing it on her.

"So, you and Church - off on your own English adventure?" Alexander asked from behind her. Angelica turned around, her shaking hand threatening to spill her tequila all over the Jefferson's manicured lawn. "And Jefferson thrown into the mix, too. How fun."

"What is it you're trying to tell me, Alexander?" Angelica asked, as though she didn't know.

"If you accept that offer - if you go and live in that house - you're going to marry him. You're never going to be able to get out from under that shadow and see the world. See that there might be something else for you." Alexander answered, looking down at his shoes as he spoke. He only looked up as he added, "I wish you would have told me that you were leaving."

"Would it have made a difference?" Angelica demanded pointedly. She didn't say the words, but they hung in the air all the same.

 _You don't need me here. You have Eliza now_.

"You don't have to do this." Alexander tried again.

"Who said that I did?" Angelica asked though she knew perfectly well that she had, in fact, convinced herself that she had to accept Church's offer.

"Annie." Alexander's eyes were pleading.

"Just stop it, Alexander." Angelica snapped. She knew that she was lashing out unnecessarily, but she could not stop herself. "Stop trying to save me, or whatever you think it is that you're doing. I'm not your damsel in distress. I'm not a princess in a tower. I'm sorry that I'm doing something that you don't like, but don't think for one second that dating my little sister gives you the right to start telling me what to do with my life."

She stomped off before Alexander could think of some kind of response to her tirade. She joined Church and Jefferson near the pool. Jefferson told them about the best places to visit in France. Church showed Angelica pictures of the house he'd bought. John Laurens ambled about, occasionally giving some sort of surprising trivia about France before wandering off again.

"So, we know what you're doing next year," Jefferson said, obviously tiring of Church discussing everything that he and Angelica would do while in England. "What're you doing this summer, Angelica? Any hot plans?"

"I'm going to an immigration rally next week," Angelica responded, knowing full well that neither Jefferson nor Church would want to go with her. Jefferson loved to advocate for the average Joe, but hated to go to rallies or demonstrations where he would be surrounded by "commoners." As for Church, well, he just wasn't very interested in politics.

"You're going to the immigration rally?" Alexander took a seat in the pool chair next to Jefferson. Jefferson turned to look at him irritably. Alexander didn't take notice. "I was going to go to that, too. Have you heard about the rally down at the airport next month? There's going to be training to be a legal spectator."

Angelica looked at him for a moment. Alexander smiled apologetically as he waited for her response. Angelica accepted this silent apology. She didn't have much choice. She couldn't stand to be mad at Alexander.

"Is there really?" She asked.

Relieved that he had gotten a response out of her, Alexander's smile widened. "Yeah, it's down at the law school for free. I registered for it yesterday. You should come with me. It'll be cool."

"Definitely. Did you see the sit-in happening on the mall?" Angelica asked.

"No, what's it for?"

"Prisoner rights. Apparently, there's been an outbreak of abusive corrections officers." Angelica replied.

"Yeah, I'd definitely like to go to that. Can you send me the link with more information?" Alexander asked, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket.

They spent the rest of their time at Jefferson's party registering and passing information for different rallies and protests throughout the summer. By the time they left to pick Eliza up from tennis lessons, they had basically booked themselves for an average of two protests a week. They had plans to protest just about everything under the sun. As they drank more and found more events, they grew more and more excited. They began to call their future summer the, "Summer of Bail Outs over Bailouts." They were planning on getting arrested at least one or two times during the summer. They counted on Eliza bailing them out. They decided that it was best not to tell Eliza this until it was absolutely necessarily.

* * *

 **Rewind**

George and Martha were hosting a graduation day brunch. They had invited the entire Schuyler family over for the affair. Despite her previous crush on Alexander, Eliza was happy to attend along with Peggy, Mr. and Mrs. Schuyler. Angelica all but dragged them down the road, racing up the walkway of Mount Vernon and knocking on the door.

Alexander answered the door himself. He grinned when he saw Angelica standing on the doorstep, the rest of the Schuyler family lagging behind.

"You made it." He was speaking only to Angelica. "And it looks like you made your family walk here."

"I wanted you to read my speech." Angelica justified, thrusting the three pages she'd only just finished two hours before in Alexander's face. Alexander grabbed the pages and immediately began to skim them.

"We can make that happen," He rumbled as the rest of the Schuyler family finally made it up the walkway. "Mr. Schuyler, Mrs. Schuyler, thank you for coming! Eliza, looking lovely as always. Peggy, up top!"

Peggy still had to jump to catch Alexander's high-five.

"Angelica!" Martha beamed, materializing next to Alexander. "And the Schuylers! Come in, come in. Alexander, you can't keep people standing out in the doorway."

"Brunch is in ten minutes." George reminded Alexander, walking into the lobby where the Schuylers were shuffling in.

"Can't we eat in my room?" Alexander asked, gesturing to Angelica. "This is important. We haven't gotten to check our speeches yet. I'll be free to attend all of the brunches that you want this summer, I just really need not to mess up this speech. Please."

"Let them go." Martha rolled her eyes, smiling good-naturedly. "But bring your plates back down when you're done."

"Yes, Martha." Alexander grinned before grabbing Angelica's hand and dragging her into the kitchen.

"Grab some food." He instructed her, piling food onto a plate of his own. "This might take a little while. My rough draft is forty pages long."

"Forty pages?" Angelica asked, astonished. "But you're only the salutatorian!"

Angelica had managed to become the valedictorian through several nights of studying and crying. Alexander was stuck as the salutatorian, left to make a speech after Angelica's headliner speech.

"I've got a lot to say," Alexander said sheepishly, watching as Angelica stacked her plate with croissants and scrambled eggs and spinach. "About ten pages of it is about you."

"Me?" Angelica asked, arching an eyebrow and smirking. "How could you find ten pages of things to write about me?"

Alexander grinned. "Annie, I could write a whole book about you."

Angelica rolled her eyes and smiled as she followed Alexander up the familiar path to his bedroom. At this point, she could have found her way from the front door to his bedroom blindfolded. "Mine was five pages and I thought that was long."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. You're better at getting to the point. Probably the reason you did so much better than me in AP Lit. Well, that, and you somehow managed to keep me busy the entire weekend before our term paper was due, yet miraculously finished your paper with time to spare." Alexander remarked, opening his bedroom window and climbing out onto the roof. Angelica followed after him, carefully clutching her plate.

"If I remember correctly, I wasn't the one trying to keep you busy. I remember getting four different text messages from you telling me about parties that we just had to go to. I wrote four pages of my paper on Aaron Burr's couch while you and John played quarters." Angelica bit back smugly.

"I don't remember that."

"That's because you lost," Angelica said. "Tom had to help me carry you into the car by the time the party ended. You shouldn't play drinking games that you aren't good at."

"I'll remember that." Alexander grinned.

"Let's hear this forty page speech of yours." Angelica decided, leaning against Alexander's windowsill and preparing herself to hear what might've been the lengthiest speech in the world.

It was good. Even the parts about her. Angelica hated to admit it, but she couldn't think of a single page worth taking out of the speech. So when Alexander looked at her, his lavender eyes sparkling and his mouth set in that hopeful grin of his, she knew what she had to tell him. The truth, as always.

"I think it's great, Alex. Really. I don't know what you should take out. I think that it all flows together perfectly. Although…maybe we don't need the part about Philadelphia."

"I can't give a speech that's forty pages long." Alexander reminded her, still grinning. "You said so yourself."

"You said it yourself, you've got a lot to say." Angelica reminded him playfully. "And a quarter of it is about me. How could I possibly tell you to scrap that?"

"How much of your speech is about me?" Alexander asked, pulling Angelica's speech out of his pocket. "At least a quarter, I hope."

"Mmm, I might need to revise it," Angelica said, reaching to snatch her speech out of Alexander's hands.

"A fifth?" Alexander struggled to read the speech while Angelica tried to grab it from his hands.

"I didn't know we were going for that angle!" Angelica laughed, crawling over Alexander in an effort to get the speech. "I thought that we were just trying to wish our friends luck with their futures!"

"I pour my heart out in front of the whole school and you won't even give me a simple shout out?" Alexander chuckled. "I thought you loved me, Annie!"

"Let me just write it in!" Angelica laughed, finally wrenching the speech out of Alexander's hands. As her arms moved backward in a violent jerk, her plate went careening off of the roof. It shattered into a million pieces on the pavement below. The one sad croissant that Angelica had not yet gotten to rolled down the driveway.

"Alexander!" Martha yelled from the first floor. Both Alexander and Angelica exchanged grimaced smiles before climbing back into the window and clomping down the stairs to the first floor.

Alexander quickly swept up the shattered plate - which Angelica, of course, blamed him for - before they headed to the ceremony.

Alexander and Angelica scurried away from their families to sit on the stage in front of everyone while the rest of the students took their seats on the folding chairs in front of the stage. Alexander sent a picture to Jefferson, bragging about being on-stage while he and Madison, the poor plebeians, were sitting on folding chairs on the turf. Angelica sent a text apologizing for Alexander's behavior at the same time.

"Are you ready?" Alexander asked as the principal took the stage. Angelica smiled half-heartedly in response.

The principal cleared her throat at the podium. The ceremony was beginning to start.

As Angelica watched the principal struggle through her keynote address, she began to get nervous. She had never spoken publicly before. Sure, she'd spoken in front of a judge in mock trial, but that was in a courtroom full of 20 people at most. Now, they were looking at 100 people who all knew Angelica. All of those people were expecting Angelica to say something of importance; something that mattered.

"I can't do this." She whispered to Alexander, her lips trembling.

He turned to look at her, his eyes full of understanding. His mouth tilted up into a reassuring smile. He reached out beneath his robes and took Angelica's hand in his. His hand was clammy and just a little bit too warm, but Angelica held onto it like a lifeline.

"And now, our class valedictorian - Angelica Schuyler - has a speech prepared." The principal turned around to smile at Angelica proudly. Angelica didn't notice. She was looking at Alexander. He grinned at her and nodded. He mouthed the words "I love you." Angelica nodded dimly, releasing his hand and stumbling up to the podium.

"Hi, guys." She started off her speech, smiling nervously. There was laughter from the crowd. That was when Angelica knew that her speech would turn out alright. If you could make them laugh, even just once, you opened the door to the perfect speech. It was the one piece of advice that Alexander had given her on the car ride over.

"Now, I know that this has been great, and you could listen to me speak all day long, but I also know that some of you are asking, "who's that treat in the cap and gown back there?"" Angelica turned around to wink at Alexander. Alexander chuckled and shook his head, his face reddening. "That treat just happens to be the very smart, very well-spoken Alexander Hamilton, our class salutatorian and your next speaker. He's going to wow you with his speech - believe me, I've already heard it - but just remember, you liked mine first. Congratulations, everyone!"

There was a standing ovation. People threw their caps up onto the stage. Angelica caught one of them. Judging by the design on the back, she figured that it was Jefferson's. She winked at the crowd and brought it with her to her seat. As she returned to her chair, she locked eyes with Alexander. He was grinning at her proudly. His eyes were gleaming. Somehow, that was worth more to Angelica than the applause of a hundred classmates.

"You're up." She told him with a smile. She knew that his speech would outshine hers, but she couldn't bring herself to mind.

She was about to sit down as he stood up, but he took her by surprise when he sprang out of his seat, grabbed her by the waist, and kissed her in front of the entire school (not to mention both of their families).

There were wolf-whistles, howls, laughter, and applause from their classmates. All of their teachers were either amused or horrified. The principal was the latter. Neither Alexander nor Angelica cared. They were, after all, graduating from her clutches.

When he released her from his hold, he smiled. "Good speech, Annie."

Angelica rolled her eyes and shakily took her seat, trying like hell to pretend that the kiss hadn't affected her nearly as much as it had. Alexander, meanwhile, strode up to the podium like nothing had happened. As he leaned into the microphone, he cracked his characteristic grin.

"Hi, everyone. I'd like to start off my speech by congratulating you all on making it to this finishing point - even when none of us thought we would make it - but the fact is, we really owe the ever-beautiful, fantastically brilliant Angelica Schuyler another round of applause. What do you say, folks?"

Everyone clapped. Jefferson wolf-whistled. Angelica smiled bashfully.

The rest of Alexander's speech was about balancing work and life. He talked about the importance of going home from school and enjoying little things, like the occasional party, spontaneous road trips, a loved one's birthday party, a well-cooked meal, and the smile of a gorgeous girl who has just given a phenomenal speech. Angelica tried to pretend that part wasn't about her. Her goofy smile gave her away.

* * *

"Your speech was so good!" Eliza exclaimed as both Angelica and Alexander found their families. The Washingtons were with the Schuylers. Philip and George were having a lively conversation about something or the other. Martha and Eliza were smiling at Angelica and Alexander. Peggy was playing some sort of video game, obviously bored with the whole procession. Mrs. Schuyler was lecturing Philip Jr. for cheering too loudly during the ceremony.

"Which one?" Alexander asked playfully, wrapping his arms around Angelica's waist and resting his chin on her head.

"Angelica's," Eliza said decidedly. "But yours was a close second."

"She liked mine best," Angelica smirked, tilting her head back to lock eyes with Alexander. He grinned and kissed her before she allowed her head to fall forward again.

"Angelica!" Jefferson bounded over to the group. "Hey, congratulations. That was one hell of a speech. Are you coming to my party this afternoon?"

Angelica turned around to face Alexander. George and Martha were looking at Jefferson curiously. Jefferson noticed just a second too late. Angelica took advantage of it. "Is Alexander invited, too?"

"Yeah. Of course." Jefferson tried to sound optimistic, but his facial expression gave him away. "You're always welcome, Hamilton. You know where my house is, don't you?"

"Sure do." Alexander grinned. "Although, I don't know if I ought to go somewhere that Laurens and Lafayette aren't invited. I don't want them to feel left out."

"Lafayette isn't invited?" Washington spoke up. Jefferson looked horrified. "Why not? Thomas, you would like Lafayette. John, too. Fine fellow. None finer."

"No, no, yeah, they're definitely invited. Both of them. Bring them with you." Jefferson rambled nervously. He was so desperate for George Washington's approval.

Alexander smirked. "I'll let them know."

"Am I going to have to drive them over?" Angelica asked Alexander, folding her arms across her chest and arching an eyebrow.

"John's got a car," Alexander assured her.

"Perfect." Angelica beamed. She turned to Mrs. Schuyler. "Mama, do you mind if we go?"

Mrs. Schuyler looked at Angelica, a frown on her lips but a glimmer of amusement in her eyes. Angelica had asked her as an afterthought because she knew that once Alexander and Jefferson were counting on her to go, Mrs. Schuyler couldn't say no. Especially not in front of the Washingtons.

"Your curfew is midnight." Mrs. Schuyler decided, hoping to convey an air of authority.

"Yes, Mama." Angelica nodded, allowing Mrs. Schuyler this authority.

"And not a minute later."

"Yes, Mama."

"A minute later, and you will not be going to that rally next week."

"Yes, Mama."

"Go." Mrs. Schuyler instructed, wanting to be annoyed without much success.

Angelica didn't need to be told twice. She smiled and grabbed Alexander's hand, pulling him in the direction of the parking lot.

They ran all the way to the parking lot. Alexander opened the driver's side door for Angelica, kissing her before she climbed in. He then slid across the hood of the car - trying in vain to reenact some scene he'd seen from a movie from the 80's - to the passenger's side. After he recovered from his topple onto the pavement, he crawled into the passenger's seat and smiled good-naturedly as Angelica laughed at him.

Angelica looked away to focus on the road as she drove the familiar route to Monticello. Alexander, meanwhile, did not look away from Angelica.

"I can't believe you're going to England in two months." Alexander murmured as Angelica drove.

Angelica turned to glance at Alexander just briefly before returning her eyes to the road.

"England's not very far."

"Three thousand three hundred and twenty-six miles."

Angelica changed her approach. "I'll come home during every break. You can wait until Christmas, can't you?"

"Four months and twenty-four days." Alexander sighed, leaning back in his seat.

Angelica looked at him again, her lips twisting into a reluctant smile. "Do you have to turn everything into a number?"

"I like to quantify," Alexander remarked, not quite smiling.

"Then quantify how much I love you, would you? Maybe that'll hold you over while you're marking down your calendar."

"I should've applied to that program." Alexander mused.

"No, you absolutely should not have. First of all, it's completely focused on the liberal arts. You would have gone insane, Mr. I-like-to-quantify. What would you have done? Written poetry for four entire years?" Angelica reminded him. "That's not what you want to do, Alex. Go to Columbia. Get your degree. Get into Georgetown Law. By the time you do everything that you need to do, I'll be home again."

"You don't have to be so practical," Alexander grumbled, though they both knew that Angelica was right. "I could have been a hopeless romantic chasing you around the globe."

"Tom's already got that covered." Angelica reminded him playfully.

Jefferson had already begged his father to let him use the Jefferson's summer home in France for the summer for the purpose of being nearer to Angelica. Angelica had not asked him to, nor had she made any promises to even see him over the course of the summer. But she'd probably see him. It was hard to resist a lavish mansion in France over stuffy dorms in Oxford.

"Ah, that makes me feel _so_ much better." Alexander snapped, frowning.

A joke about Jefferson was apparently the wrong thing to say.

"Hey," Angelica cooed as she pulled into the Monticello driveway. "You know what this is. We both do. I love you, Alexander. More than Tom. More than Church. But if we're going to survive the next four years, we can't be worried about who the other is with. I don't want you asking me when I'm going to see Tom next; I want you asking me when I'm going to see you next. I want our relationship to be the only one you're focused on. Do you understand me?"

They had been over this several times before. Angelica told him that she would not ask questions about who he went out with at Columbia. She would never look through his social media accounts for any girl that might be hoping to usurp her position. She would just ask him to text her every once in a while, and maybe take her out to a nice dinner when she was home on breaks. She asked him to tell her if he ever suspected he might not love her anymore. Alexander had protested the entire conversation; he'd even accused Angelica of angling for such a relationship in the hopes that he would let her date other guys. Angelica brushed off this accusation, telling Alexander that she had always been inclined to date whom she pleased. She just hadn't felt like dating anyone else when Alexander lived approximately 1.3 miles down the road from her house.

"I understand." Alexander sulked.

"Hey." Angelica quirked a smile. "Cheer up. We still have the whole summer together, remember? And this is a party. You can't sulk around a party."

"I _could_." Alexander insisted.

"You _shouldn't_." Angelica amended. "Or you'll never get invited to another party again. Come on. I see John and Lafayette going into the backyard."

"Alright," Alexander grumbled, exiting the car as Angelica emerged from the driver's side.

The moment they reached Jefferson's backyard, Alexander made a beeline for the outside bar, where Hercules Mulligan and Lafayette were trying to open a bottle of champagne without Jefferson noticing. John Laurens was leaning against a tree a few feet away, chain smoking cigarettes and watching his friends with a bemused smile. Since Jefferson seemed busy talking to Madison and Dolly, Angelica decided to join Laurens by the tree. Oddly enough, they had become fast friends since prom night.

"He asked you to stay again, didn't he?" Laurens asked as she approached.

"Not exactly," Angelica said pointedly, grabbing the rum and coke that Laurens was holding in his non-smoking hand and taking a long sip. "Now he's annoyed that I didn't ask him to follow me to Europe."

"What would he do in Europe?" Laurens asked with a chuckle. "He thinks there are too many people riding bikes in Albany. He'd go insane if he saw how many people ride bikes in Europe."

"Thank you!" Angelica remarked, relieved that someone else saw how ridiculous it was to even entertain the idea of Alexander living in Europe with her.

"Besides," Laurens said thoughtfully, taking another drag of his cigarette. "He's got a lot of things he wants to do here. If he went to Europe instead, he'd never be happy."

"I know that." Angelica huffed. "And I think that he does, too. But I think he's trying to use reverse psychology. Maybe if he offers to go with me enough, I'll suddenly decide to stay."

"Will you?" Laurens barely looked at her, already knowing the answer.

"Don't be stupid." Angelica rolled her eyes. "This is a once in a lifetime kind of opportunity."

"Back to square one, then." Laurens exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"You're just a beacon of wise words, aren't you?" Angelica sniped.

"Hey, I wasn't the one who applied to that fancy Oxford program." Laurens reminded her. "Don't take it out on me."

"I'm taking this." Angelica nodded towards the rum and coke before walking away.

"Hey!" Laurens called after her. "No one likes a thief, Angelica!"

"What'd you steal from Laurens?" Alexander asked as Angelica approached him, Hercules, and Lafayette. They were still wrangling with the champagne bottle. Apparently, three boys were not enough to get the cork out.

Angelica held up the rum and coke. "He already has cigarettes. Having two vices at once is just greedy."

"Mm." Alexander hummed, nodding his head. He was very obviously still annoyed about their conversation in the car.

"Can I speak to you for a minute?" Angelica asked, her tone leaving little room for refusal.

Both Hercules and Lafayette looked over at them curiously.

"Okay." Alexander agreed at length, following Angelica to a secluded corner of the backyard. When they came to a stop, he looked at her stubbornly. His chin jutted out. His eyes were cool and distant. His mouth curved down into a harsh frown. "What?"

"What is your problem?" She demanded. "We are at a party with all of our friends, and you're acting like you're determined to make sure that nobody has a good time."

"Why don't you want me to come to England? You didn't mind it when Jefferson said he was going to France for the summer."

Angelica let out an annoyed huff and ran a hand through her hair. "Alex, I already told you. You have things you want to do in America. Tom…doesn't. You want to get your degree, go to law school. Do you really think you can accomplish any of that while you're chasing me across England?"

Alexander pouted. "At least I would be with you."

"You would be miserable with me." Angelica reminded him with a sad smile.

"I couldn't be miserable with you." Alexander protested.

"Just…give it a year, would you? I'm only asking for a year." Angelica took Alexander's hand in hers and tried her best to make eye contact with him. "Go to Columbia, try your best. This summer, I'll either fly home or fly you out to England for the summer. If you really think that your life would be better spent with me in England, I won't argue with you. If you realize that Columbia might be better for your ambitions, you stay and I rub it in your face for the next few months. Okay?"

"The same summer that Jefferson thinks he's spending in a French villa with you?" Alexander asked hopefully.

Angelica rolled her eyes. "Yes, Alexander. The same summer that Tom will be in France."

"Angelica Schuyler," Alexander grinned. "You got yourself a deal."

* * *

 **Angelica is sailing off to London! Well, Oxford. Anyway! Thank you to everyone who has been super patient with me as I try to manage both this fun little hobby and the not-so-fun reality of law school. My spring break is coming up, so hopefully I'll be more or less back on track in a few weeks' time. Till then, read slowly...just not slowly enough to notice what I'm sure are numerous typos.**

 **Happy Friday everyone!**


	9. Chapter 9

They didn't get arrested all summer long.

Not that there weren't close calls, of course. After a protest against some Neo-Nazi speaker advocating violence, Alexander and Angelica ran through the city to escape a set of cops chasing after them. Said cops had mistaken them for a group of teenagers that had begun to throw rocks. Alexander had to boost Angelica over a chain-link fence in an alley that the cops had chased them into. Just a few miles down the road, Angelica had to tackle Alexander to the ground when his head was poking out of the shrubs for the cops to see.

They gathered a slew of stories and scars and each time that they went to a rally, Angelica fell deeper and deeper in love with Alexander.

But like all things, summer was destined to end. Before long, it was time for Alexander to go to Columbia, and Angelica to go to Oxford. Church had gone over a few weeks earlier to set up their house. Therefore, when Angelica went to the airport, it was only Mr. and Mrs. Schuyler, Eliza, and Alexander there to see her off.

"You take care, honey." Mr. Schuyler said, pulling Angelica into a tight hug that lasted for only a second. Mr. Schuyler was not very good at expressing his emotions. Angelica had inherited that trait from him. "And don't get run over by any of those double-decker buses, understand?"

"Of course." Angelica smiled.

"Be careful around those media production people." Mrs. Schuyler added. She did not hug Angelica. She was even less touchy-feely than Mr. Schuyler. "Don't get caught up with people who only want to use you."

"Yes, Mama." Angelica nodded.

Eliza rushed forward, pulling Angelica into a bone-crushing hug. "Oh, I'm going to miss you so much! What am I going to do without you?"

"You're going to inherit the car, for starters." Angelica tried to joke.

Eliza just hugged her tighter.

"You have to answer your phone every time, no matter what time it is over there." She insisted, her voice muffled by Angelica's shoulder.

"Don't you dare call your sister, Eliza." Mrs. Schuyler chastised. "Not until you pay your own phone bill."

"You can text me anytime that you need me," Angelica reassured her, rolling her eyes at Mrs. Schuyler. "And if it can't be said over text, you can Skype me whenever you want."

"I'm going to miss you so much." Eliza was tearing up. Angelica could hear it in her voice.

"I'll be home again in no time," Angelica promised. "And maybe Mama will let you visit me one summer. According to Church, there's a guest room that you can stay in whenever you want."

Eliza nodded. She finally released Angelica from her death grip and shuffled behind Mrs. Schuyler, tears running down her face. She allowed Alexander to take her place, wrapping his arms around Angelica and settling his head on her shoulder.

"You don't have to go, you know." He murmured, one last time. He'd been reminding Angelica of this at every chance he got over the summer.

"I'll miss you too, Alex." Angelica sighed, allowing herself just the briefest moment to take in the smell of his cologne, the warm sensation of his closeness, and the feel of his breath on her neck. She wanted to remember this. This particular memory was the only real thing of value that she was bringing to Oxford.

"Okay." Alexander backed away from Angelica. Eliza immediately resumed her place next to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head against his chest. They looked like a postcard snapshot. "We should let you go. Your flight is about to board. Have a safe flight, Annie."

"Text me when your plane lands," Eliza added.

"Don't drink too much on the plane." Mrs. Schuyler warned.

"Be careful not to lose your luggage in baggage." Mr. Schuyler advised.

"Goodbye." Angelica grinned, turning around and running towards security. Towards a future in Oxford.

* * *

It was Christmas time. It was going to be Angelica's fourth Christmas in Oxford; her fourth Christmas missing the traditional Schuyler celebration.

After three years of missing Christmas at home, though, it didn't feel abnormal to Angelica to miss yet another one. Her life was, after all, in Oxford. She had a nice house with Church, she had a cute little dog named Taz, and she had a slew of casual boyfriends who were wholeheartedly devoted to her. She was only a few months away from graduating with her journalism degree. She already had a job as a news correspondent for the local news station. Her film reel was the best in the school. She received an average of eight fan letters a week. Jefferson was usually two of them.

She was bringing in groceries and chasing Taz away from the open front door one Wednesday evening when the routine that Angelica had created for herself was suddenly altered. Her phone rang. Eliza's contact information appeared on the screen. Eliza only called when she had something extremely important to say. Angelica struggled to throw the groceries on the couch and warned Taz against eating any of them before she answered her phone.

"Hello?"

"Angelica!" Eliza sounded elated. "We're coming for Christmas!"

"What?" Angelica didn't understand what Eliza had just said.

Realizing that she would have to explain herself better, Eliza let out a small sigh. "You know how you've missed every Christmas for the past three years?"

"Yeah, Eliza, I've told you -"

"No, I know, I know! That's why we're coming over there this year! Mama and Daddy already agreed to it. We've all bought our tickets. You said that you have a guest room - you still have it, don't you? Mama said that she and Daddy would stay at a hotel, so me, Alexander, and Peggy can work out who stays in the guest room and who sleeps on the couch. I wish that Philip could come, but he says that he has to spend Christmas with Sarah's family this year. Sarah doesn't want to pay for the flight to England or something like that."

Eliza and Alexander had stayed together all this time. In retrospect, Angelica could hardly believe it. She had expected them to break up once Alexander went off to Columbia. But, according to Eliza, Alexander visited her whenever he could and called her every single night. After Eliza graduated high school, she got a job as a nanny for a wealthy family and rented an apartment near Columbia. She had not gone to college. Mrs. Schuyler was extremely disappointed about that fact and let everyone know it. But Eliza was happy. It seemed that the only thing she really wanted out of life was Alexander. Angelica could hardly blame her for that.

However, Angelica had found that the old adage, "time heals all wounds," was surprisingly truthful in its nature. Since moving to England, she had thought about Alexander less and less until she only really thought about him when Eliza brought him up. Her heart didn't hammer the way it once had at the mention of his name. Her body didn't shiver with delight at the memory of him holding her close. He was just another boy in her past. No more special than any of the others.

"Are you sure?" Angelica asked, less than thrilled at the prospect of a bunch of uninvited family members hanging around her house. "I mean, our house is so small, and our dog is so badly behaved…we don't even really do much for Christmas. I don't think we've gotten a tree since our first year here."

"We can get a tree when we get there!" Eliza was not letting Angelica make any excuses. "It'll be fun! When do your exams end? Alexander is finished on the thirteenth. Peggy is finished on the fourteenth. Can we come over on the fifteenth?"

"My last final is actually on the fifteenth…" Angelica flipped through her calendar as she spoke.

"Great! We can show up that night!" Eliza chirped. "Do you have work that night? Oh, we could go to the studio with you! Could we please come to the studio with you? Alexander is always asking about your job. We watch you every weekend, you know. Alexander records all of your news reports and we have a marathon every Friday night."

"Um, yeah, okay, I guess I could bring you to the studio." Angelica ran a hand through her hair as she paced the length of the kitchen.

"Yay! Oh, I'm so excited!" Eliza squealed. "You know, it's going to be Alexander's first time in England? Can you believe that? He's always asking Peggy and me about our trips. Partially because he's so jealous of us getting to go, but partially because he misses you. He says you never text him back. Why don't you text him back?"

"What?" Angelica faltered. "He's never texted me. When did he text me?"

"He says he's been trying to text you for the past three years." Eliza pouted. "Wait…but…did you ever give him your new phone number?"

Angelica had had to adopt a new phone plan when she moved to England. In trying to make as clean a break as she could, she had not given Alexander her new phone number. She hadn't seen any reason to. She couldn't imagine why he would want to contact her when he already had Eliza.

"No." Angelica brushed Taz away from the groceries on the couch. She loaded her arms with freezer food and stumbled towards the kitchen, her phone pressed to her ear. "You can give it to him if you want, but I'll just see you all in a few weeks anyway."

"Honey, I'm home!" Church walked through the front door with the same corny line as every other afternoon. Taz finally abandoned the groceries in order to sniff Church's shoes, inspecting him for the scent of other dogs. He was a pretty jealous dog.

"Oh, there's Church." Angelica shouldn't have been as relieved as she was for the excuse to hang up on her little sister. "I should go. Text me with your flight times so we can work out a way to pick you up from the airport, okay? And please have Mama Skype me whenever she takes a break from micromanaging Peggy. I need to talk to her about her hotel arrangements. And you take care, okay? Don't let those bratty kids you nanny start getting all Christmas-crazy."

Eliza laughed. "Don't worry - I told them that the smoke alarm in their house was Santa's secret surveillance camera. They think he's watching them at all times. They haven't stepped out of line since!"

"You're a genius, babe." Angelica couldn't help but smile.

"I miss you." Eliza sighed.

"I miss you, too." Angelica agreed with a sad smile. "But I'll see you on the fifteenth. And we'll have the best break ever, okay?"

"Okay." Eliza was so easy to cheer up. "Love you."

"Love you too." Angelica echoed, hanging up her phone.

"What was that about?" Church questioned, carrying the groceries that Angelica had abandoned on the couch over to the kitchen. He started putting them away while Angelica took a seat at the kitchen table.

"My family is coming over here for the holidays," Angelica answered, still slightly baffled by this particular fact. "They just kind of invited themselves over. Um, Eliza, Peggy, and Alexander are going to be staying with us. I think my parents are going to stay in a hotel, but I'm not really sure. Eliza was talking pretty fast."

"Oh, yeah. I know." Church chuckled, ducking down to organize the vegetable drawer in the refrigerator. He was more concerned with refrigerator organization than anyone Angelica had ever met.

"What do you mean, you know?" Angelica questioned, cocking her head to the side. "You know that Eliza speaks fast, or you know that my family is basically tying a loose around our necks for the entire month of December?"

Church turned to look at her. He rolled his eyes and smiled the most patronizing smile. "They miss you, Ang. And, you know, I heard how upset Eliza got when you told her that you probably wouldn't make it home for Christmas again, so I thought that maybe I could invite them over here."

"You did this?" Angelica had never felt so betrayed.

"Don't say that like I shot you in the back." Church laughed, grabbing a beer out of the fridge. He drank craft beer. Angelica did her best not to let him know that she thought craft beers were disgusting. "They're your family. You should see them over the holidays."

"Do you know how much work the holidays are? I have to go out and buy wrapping paper, actually wrap all of their presents instead of just shipping them directly to their houses. We have to get a tree and ornaments and Christmas lights that actually work. We have to change the sheets on the bed in the guest room for the first time ever. We have to clean, Church. Like, actually clean. And we have to serve them dinner every night. Did you think about any of that before you invited them?"

"Ang, I just wanted you to have a nice holiday." Church's eyebrows furrowed as he took the seat across the table from Angelica. "I thought that seeing your family would make you happy."

Looking into his copper-colored eyes, Angelica's resolve weakened. Church was a lot of things. He was awkward, he didn't use sarcasm correctly, he drank beer that cost more than a sandwich, he never hung his towel up after showering, he still hadn't learned how to dance, and whenever he kissed her, there was always just a little bit too much moisture on his lips. But he was good. He was such a good guy. And he tried so hard to make Angelica happy.

"Okay." She sighed, looking around the area to take survey of the pieces of furniture she'd need to clean before Mrs. Schuyler saw the house. "I don't have time to do this right now. Could you please buy some decorations when you come home from work tomorrow? You know, Christmas ornaments, wreaths, candles…whatever looks good."

"Got it." Church grinned, eager to prove himself after his obvious blunder.

"Alright." Angelica sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I'll make dinner in a little while. I need to get some work done first."

She stormed out of the living room to regain her temper before she told Church what she really thought of his idea to invite her entire family to England without even thinking to tell her first.

* * *

It was December 15th and Angelica was sitting for her last exam. It was all about citing sources properly. She had been studying for it for weeks. She knew every answer front and back. She finished about twenty minutes earlier than everyone else.

The second she hit the "submit" button on the exam, she slammed her laptop shut and tossed it in her bag. She threw her bag over her shoulder and raced out of the liberal arts building. Her family's plane touched down a little over an hour ago. They were currently alone in the house with Church. Mrs. Schuyler didn't particularly like Church. Leaving them alone together was not the best of ideas.

"I'm home!" She shouted as she raced through the front door of the house. They weren't in the lobby. The living room. They must have been in the living room. She could hear the soft, sing-song speech pattern that could only belong to Eliza. She dropped her bag on the kitchen table and hastened into the living room.

They were there. Mrs. Schuyler was sitting on the couch, looking around critically. Mr. Schuyler was playing with Taz. He loved dogs. Eliza was listening to Church intently. He was talking about his job. Angelica knew from experience that his conversations about work were never interesting. Peggy was watching Mr. Schuyler play with Taz wistfully. She was allergic to dogs. Alexander's back was turned to Angelica. Angelica tried her very best to avoid looking at him for too long. He hardly mattered to her anymore. They hadn't seen each other in four years.

Taz noticed Angelica's presence first. He caught one whiff of her perfume and launched himself out of Mr. Schuyler's arms. Mr. Schuyler's eyes followed the dog; at first, he was offended. Then he saw Angelica and grinned.

"Angelica! There you are? How are you, honey? Oh, you look great!" He stood up and crossed the living room to pull Angelica into a crushing hug. Everyone else leaped out of their seats to look at Angelica.

"Oh, dad, don't hog her! I've waited months for this hug!" Eliza tapped Mr. Schuyler's shoulder, shooing him away from Angelica. Before Angelica could utter a single word, her arms were full of Eliza. She smelled the familiar scent of Eliza's eucalyptus shampoo. "Ugh, Ang, I've missed you! How are you? You're so thin. Are you eating enough? John, is she eating enough? Taz's coat is looking so shiny! Are you using a new conditioner on his fur? I've read that coconut oil does wonders for a dog's coat. I've been thinking about getting a dog. What kind of dog is Taz?"

"Okay, honey." Angelica laughed, holding Eliza at arm's length. "Breathe."

"We're not really getting a dog," Alexander interjected with a chuckle. "Not yet. We've already agreed on that."

Angelica finally looked at Alexander.

Oh, Alexander.

He was so handsome. Perhaps even more handsome than Angelica had remembered him being. He'd gotten his hair cut since high school. It made him look older. His lavender eyes were sharper than they had been in high school. He was sporting a fitting cashmere sweater and jeans; they made him look taller. His mouth was curved into a smile that Angelica had not seen since high school. It was the smile he seemed to reserve especially for her.

If Angelica had convinced herself that she was over Alexander, that was only because she hadn't seen that smile in three years.

"You agreed on that," Eliza said playfully, not noticing the four years of pining that was currently happening between Angelica and Alexander. "I never signed anything. Maybe one day you'll come over and there'll be a cute little dog at the door."

"Elizabeth Schuyler, don't you dare impulsively buy a dog." Mrs. Schuyler interjected. "Angelica's dog is one thing. Angelica lives across the ocean. She won't expect us to watch her dog whenever she's too busy to take care of it."

"Mama." Angelica took a break from staring at Alexander in order to smile at her mother. "Eliza would take care of any dog that she got. It would probably be much better behaved than Taz, too."

Eliza turned to smirk at Alexander. "See?"

Angelica's eyes followed Eliza's stare to Alexander. She smiled again. She'd forgotten what it felt like to be near him. To feel so extraordinarily at home.

"We'll see," Alexander responded, not taking his eyes off of Angelica.

"So, Angie," Mr. Schuyler tried to divert her attention. Angelica forced herself to look away from Alexander in order to lock eyes with her father. "Your mother and I were talking about going to France for a few days. You made it sound so wonderful when you were telling us about your visit with the Jefferson boy that we decided to go ourselves. We'll be back before Christmas."

"Yeah, sure." One less problem for Angelica to worry about. "Let me know if you need any recommendations. I'm sure that Tom would be happy to tell you all about his favorite places to eat."

"We actually got recommendations from John Adams before we left." Mr. Schuyler said. "He told us all about his favorite places."

Angelica couldn't help but risk a glance at Alexander, knowing his disdain for John Adams. Alexander winked and smiled back at her amusedly.

"Okay, great. Then I guess I just have to worry about getting Eliza, Peggy, and Alexander set up. Um, have you guys talked about who's going to get the guest room yet?" Angelica glanced at Eliza and Peggy before focusing a majority of her attention on Alexander.

"I want the guest room." Peggy had gotten so much taller since Angelica had seen her last. She was starting to look like an actual human being instead of the snarky little girl Angelica had always known her to be. "I'm allergic to dogs. If I sleep on the couch, I won't be able to breathe until we get home."

"Fine by me." Alexander agreed pleasantly. "Betsey, why don't you and Peggy share the guest room? I don't mind sleeping on the couch."

"Are you sure?" Angelica questioned, not wanting to break eye contact with Alexander. "You'll have to share the couch with Taz."

"That's alright. He seems like a snuggler." Alexander smiled down at Taz.

"Oh, he is." Church chimed in. Neither Angelica nor Alexander looked at him.

"He sleeps like a starfish." Angelica contributed. "He'll probably kick you four or five times a night. But he's got his own bed. If you nudge him back enough, he'll go sleep in it."

"Got it." Alexander grinned, nodding his head.

"Well," Mrs. Schuyler was never one to mince words. "We're going to go. Our flight takes off in three hours and we have an uber waiting outside. We'll see you on the 21st, okay?"

"Yes, Mama." Angelica allowed Mrs. Schuyler to squeeze her hand and Mr. Schuyler to give her one last bear hug before they tromped out of the house to their uber. Everyone watched them leave before turning to look at Angelica.

"Are we close to London?" Peggy asked, scrolling through her cell phone. "There's this article on Buzzfeed about the best places to eat in London. I really want to check out this place that turns everything into a waffle."

Angelica looked at her watch. "Um, London is about an hour and a half away when traffic is good. By the time we got there, parking would be a nightmare."

"Let's just take the train." Church suggested. "We'll have to wait a little bit longer for the train, but we don't have to worry about paying for parking. I love waffles; we could get some for dinner."

Peggy's face lit up. She turned to look at Angelica. She had spent enough summers with Angelica to know that Angelica was the one who made decisions in that household. "Can we go, Angie? Please?"

"Okay…" Angelica said reluctantly. She turned to look at Alexander. He smiled at her sympathetically, like he understood her feelings on the matter perfectly. "Alex, Eliza, do you want to go with us?"

"Umm…" Eliza turned to look at Alexander uncertainly.

"Sure." Alexander shrugged. "Right? We can always unpack when we get back. Besides, you love waffles. And you were just telling me how much you wanted to go see the city."

"And you're sure you're up for it?" Eliza asked cynically. She turned to look at Angelica, her smile conspiratory. "He took sleeping pills before our flight. He doesn't like to fly."

"It's okay if you're too tired to come along." Angelica lied. She did not consider it okay to leave Alexander behind. She had just realized how much she had missed him over the past three years. She didn't want to spend a single minute without him now.

"No." Alexander insisted. "I want to go. Really."

"Okay." Angelica sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Church, could you feed the dog while I get ready? I need to change out of my exam clothes before I'm London ready."

"Sure thing, hon." Church grinned. "C'mon, Taz. You ready for din-din?"

Taz's ears perked up. He immediately scrambled for the kitchen. Church grinned before he followed after the overexcited dog.

"Pegleg, you need help with your bags?" Alexander asked Peggy, grinning down at her playfully.

That nickname might've earned anyone else a slug in the shoulder, but not Alexander. Peggy just smiled back at Alexander like she was in on the joke.

"You're so lame." She said, still smiling. "Could you grab my carry-on?"

"You got it, Pegasus." Alexander teased, winking at Peggy before grabbing her carry-on bag and bringing it down the hallway in the direction of the guest room. Peggy and Eliza followed after him, smiling to each other like they were all in on some kind of inside joke.

It was strange, watching teenaged Peggy interact with once-teenaged Alexander. Their friendship was like Eliza's friendship with Church. Alexander was the big brother figure; the only one who was allowed to make lousy nicknames and snide jokes. It was half heart-warming, half heart-breaking. That could have been Eliza's relationship with Alexander, had Angelica had the guts to show up that night in Philadelphia. But she hadn't, and it wasn't. Now Alexander was Peggy's second big brother. It seemed that both Alexander and Peggy were happy with that.

But Angelica wouldn't focus on that. Angelica would not allow herself to obsess over Alexander again. She wouldn't fall into that dark hole again. She shook her head to clear it of thoughts of Alexander before walking down the opposite hallway to her and Church's bedroom.

She changed into a little dress that was just a little bit too formal for a waffle restaurant. She would never admit that she was hoping to impress Alexander. Never, ever. Because she wasn't. She was most definitely not trying to impress…

Alexander.

"Annie." He was the first person to see her when she walked out of the bedroom. Funny how things like that work. The way that his eyes moved up and down the length of her body was not at all sibling-like. His jaw hung slack. He didn't even try to close his mouth. "Look at you. I mean…no, wow. Look at you. You look great."

"Is Angelica ready?" Eliza called from down the hall. "Tell her not to be mad at me, okay? I'll be ready in just a minute! My hair is just really frizzy. The air here is more humid than the air in New York!"

"You're fine, babe," Angelica called back, laughing.

"Yeah…fine." Alexander echoed stupidly, still looking at Angelica.

Angelica rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile. Alexander's focused gaze was presumptuous and completely inappropriate and it conflicted with every single belief of Angelica's as a feminist, but she couldn't deny the smug pride she felt at rendering Alexander inarticulate.

"You just about ready to go, Ang?" Church appeared in the hall just behind Alexander. He raised his eyebrows at Angelica's appearance but didn't look quite as spellbound as Alexander did. "Oh. Am I underdressed?"

"No." Angelica walked past Alexander to Church. She fixed the collar of his polo. "You're fine, honey. Peggy, are you ready?"

"Yep! I'm just waiting for Eliza to finish straightening her hair." Peggy shouted.

"Oh, no." Angelica suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to warn Eliza about the straightener. It was defective; there had been recalls. Angelica had stashed the defective one in the guest room until she figured out how to properly dispose of it. The functional straightener was safely in her own bathroom.

She pushed past Church and raced down to the guest room bathroom. "Eliza, honey, put down the straightener!"

"What's going on?" Alexander asked, watching as Angelica began to pound her fist on the bathroom door.

"What?" Eliza asked through the bathroom, confusion evident in her voice. Angelica could smell the scent of burning hair through the door.

"Put down the straightener! It's defective, it's -"

"Oh, my god!" Eliza squealed. "My hair! It's burnt! Why is it burnt?"

"Oh, honey! Open the door! Open the door!" Angelica howled.

"Is Alexander nearby? I don't want Alexander to see this." Eliza's voice broke. She was about to cry.

"Betsey, I don't care about your hair. Please open the door. I just want to know that you're okay." Alexander joined Angelica at the bathroom door. Angelica tried not to inhale the smell of his expensive cologne. She was unsuccessful.

"Angie," Eliza whined.

"Alex, go wait in the living room. I'll take care of this. Eliza, I won't let Alex in. Just please open the door. I know how to turn that Satan stick off before it catches on fire. We can fix your hair once I turn it off. I promise. Okay, babe? Just please open the door."

"Okay…" Eliza cracked the door open as Alexander shuffled out of the hallway and into the living room. Angelica could hear the rustle of Taz's collar tags. Alexander was playing with Taz.

Angelica pushed through the door, trying not to think about Alexander rolling around the living room with Taz. Her mind immediately switched gears when she caught sight of Eliza. She was standing in the middle of the bathroom, holding the straightener with tears streaming down her face. There was steam rising from her hair. It was badly burned. It looked like someone had dyed hay brown and glued it to Eliza's head.

"Oh, honey." Angelica would have laughed if Eliza weren't crying.

"What am I going to do?" Eliza wailed, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Look at my hair! How am I supposed to show my face like this? Alexander can't see me like this. He's already so much better looking than me. How can I ever let him see me like this?"

"He loves you, El." Angelica was stunned that Eliza would ever think twice about that fact. "And he'll love you now matter what. But we'll get to that in a second. Let me just turn this off…"

Angelica went through the tricky process of turning off the straightening iron without burning herself. Eliza just watched her, tears streaming down her perfect little face.

Once the straightener was off, Angelica turned to look at Eliza. There was nothing that could be done about her hair. Time and a lot of conditioner were the only things that could heal her ruined hair.

"I've got some hats." She suggested weakly. "You can borrow any one that you want."

"Is my hair ruined forever?" Eliza asked, sniffling.

Angelica smiled and pulled Eliza into a hug. "Oh, no, honey. No. Your hair is going to be just fine. Trust me; I've burnt my hair with this thing before. In a few days, it'll be all better. And if you want, I have a great hair stylist just down the street. We can get you all fixed up in time for Christmas pictures."

"Do you have a hat that matches this outfit?" Eliza asked hesitantly, looking down at her clothes.

Angelica smiled. "Absolutely. I just got a great one the other day. C'mon. You can try them on in my room."

Angelica took Eliza by the hand and led her to her bedroom. There, Eliza tried on every single one of Angelica's hats before settling on a cute blue hat that Angelica had bought on impulse at an outdoor market in Essex.

When they emerged from the bedroom and joined everyone in the living room, Alexander took care to tell Eliza how beautiful she looked, and how much he liked her hat. Church chimed in, telling Angelica that she ought to just give Eliza her hat. Eliza blushed and insisted that they were all lying, but she still let them escort her out of the house.

They all walked to the train station. The weather was nice - for once - and Peggy wanted to take pictures of Oxford to send her friends back home.

The train ride itself was relatively uneventful. Alexander continued to compliment Eliza and everything that she did. Angelica watched, furious with herself for falling into the same love-filled trap that she had been caught in during high school. Church told Peggy about every landmark that they passed. Peggy took pictures and largely ignored Church. It turned out that she was growing up to be more like Angelica than Eliza.

London was more of the same. Eliza and Alexander explored the bustling city streets while Peggy took every touristy picture possible. Church smiled at them all good-naturedly but didn't say much. Angelica mostly watched Alexander and Eliza. They were so good together. He seemed to sense whenever she was uncertain. He would just smile and pull her close and Eliza would immediately smile again.

When they returned to the house, Church immediately went to bed. He woke up early for work every morning and generally did not stay up past 10 o'clock. Peggy, Eliza, and Alexander didn't seem to mind. They were all jetlagged and dragging their feet down the hallway. Peggy fell asleep on the train ride home. Alexander had to give her a piggyback home from the train station. He set her down on the bed in the guest bedroom when they got home. She had gone straight to sleep. Eliza wanted to stay awake long enough to have a cup of tea "like a real British person," but she fell asleep when she sat down next to Peggy on the bed. She had only meant to sit down to take off her shoes, but she was down for the count. That left Angelica and Alexander.

"Well, Annie." Alexander sighed, grinning down at Peggy and Eliza's sleeping forms. "It looks like it's bedtime. What do you think the odds are of Taz letting me on the couch right now?"

Taz was currently asleep, sprawled across the length of the couch.

"Mmm…" Angelica wrinkled her nose. "Slim to none."

"That's what I was afraid of." Alexander chuckled as they walked out of the guest bedroom. "Well, it's worth a shot, I guess. Maybe he'll let me take a throw pillow and sleep on the floor."

"Maybe. If you're lucky." Angelica agreed with a laugh.

"Yeah, well." Alexander smiled at Angelica, looking her up and down as they came to a stop beside the couch. "I guess this is where I leave you. Goodnight, Annie."

"Goodnight, Alex." Angelica smiled before walking off in the direction of her own bedroom.

* * *

"Ugh." The next morning hit Angelica like a bag of bricks. Church's alarm went off at 5:45 am, as usual. And, as usual, Angelica woke up with him in order to get ready for work. She was still pretty low on the food chain, which meant that she was in charge of her own hair and makeup. Getting camera-ready took some time.

"When are you leaving today?" She asked Church the same question every morning.

"About five," Church answered that question the same every morning. "What do you think we should do for dinner tonight? Think everyone will be okay with ordering in? I don't have time to make anything."

"We'll figure it out." Angelica waved off his question as she threw on her massive robe. "But I need some coffee. By the looks of it, so do you."

"No can do," Church replied, tightening his tie around his neck. "I gotta go in early this morning. Employees took inventory last night; I've got to make sure everything's accounted for. I'll call you on my lunch break, okay?"

"Okay," Angelica answered without a second thought.

"Good. Love you." Church kissed Angelica quickly before walking through the door. Seconds later, Angelica heard the front door click closed.

With a sigh, she wrapped her robe around herself a little tighter and emerged from the bedroom. She walked the worn path from the bedroom to the kitchen. She went to turn on the coffee maker, only to realize that the coffee maker was already full. Someone had already made coffee.

"Mmm. Angelica Schuyler in a fuzzy pink bathrobe. Pinch me, I must be dreaming."

Angelica had forgotten that Alexander was asleep on the couch. She jumped, spilling the coffee that she had been pouring all over the counter. She grabbed a towel and threw it over the spill before turning around to face Alexander.

"Jesus, Alex, you just about gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry." Alexander grinned, standing up from the couch and shuffling over to Angelica. "I made some coffee. Hope you don't mind. I just remembered Church saying that he left at the crack of dawn and usually didn't have time to make coffee. I thought while I was up I'd try to earn my keep."

"Consider it earned." Angelica approved, pouring herself a nice, tall mug of coffee. "You want a cup?"

"I already treated myself to one, but I'll have another." Alexander agreed pleasantly. "I've got a lot of work to do before everyone else starts waking up."

"Oh yeah?" Angelica asked, taking Alexander's empty mug and refilling it with coffee. She handed it to him before taking a seat at the counter. Alexander sat across from her. "What are you working on?"

"Law school applications, mostly."

"Right," Angelica remembered Alexander mentioning that he wanted to go to law school during the Summer of Bail Outs Over Bailouts. "Where are you applying?"

"Columbia and Georgetown," Alexander replied, taking a long sip of coffee. "Columbia is my safety net. I'd really like to go to Georgetown."

"I don't think I've ever heard somebody call Columbia a safety net before." Angelica giggled. "You know Ruth Bader Ginsburg's daughter teaches at Columbia, right?"

"Yeah, I know Jane." Angelica couldn't tell whether Alexander's nonchalant tone was a joke, or if he really knew Ruth Bader Ginsburg's daughter well enough to use her first name. At this point, she wouldn't be surprised either way. "I just want to move to the capital. Can you imagine? There's so much going on there. I'd be near the White House. I could protest on the Mall."

"You could get Georgetown Cupcakes every day," Angelica suggested, pointing her mug at Alexander emphatically.

Alexander smiled to himself for a minute before locking eyes with Angelica. "I'm serious, Annie."

"I know." Angelica allowed herself to adopt a semi-serious tone. "And I think it's great. I can't imagine that anyone would make a better lawyer than you."

"Thank you." Alexander smiled at Angelica with so much sincerity that she had to look away.

"What about Eliza?" She asked, hoping to divert the attention from herself.

"What about her?" Alexander wondered, puzzled.

"What's she doing?" Angelica questioned. It was a real question, not just one concocted to divert attention. That was her reason for asking, of course, but she had been wondering it for some time. "Is she thinking about school, or is she still happy to be a nanny? You know that I just want her to be happy, but I don't want her to find herself stuck in a job that she hates."

"I don't know." Alexander mused, staring down at her coffee. "I ask her every now and again, but she always says the same thing. She didn't like school the first time around; why would she waste her time and money doing it again? And you know, I get it. School isn't for some people, you know? Eliza's so smart, but she's the kind of practical smart that neither of us has ever been. She does charity work. You should see how far she can stretch a penny. She teaches the kids she nannies how to cook, how to clean…how to make their own clothes, for god's sake. Theoretical things would just bog her down."

Angelica nodded, taking another sip of coffee. "So she's happy as a nanny?"

"Well, the kids are getting older." Alexander murmured. "Which means that she'll be out of the job soon."

"What's she going to do?"

Alexander looked around before smiling at Angelica conspiratorially. "Promise you won't repeat what I'm about to tell you?"

"Okay." Angelica's heart fluttered. She didn't let herself wonder if Alexander was planning on breaking up with Eliza.

Alexander looked around one more time before leaning close. Angelica could see each individual hair of his five o'clock shadow. She was sure that her pupils had dilated to twice their usual size. "George is running for Congress."

"What?" That was not what Angelica had been expecting.

"Yeah. Only a few people know; Betsey's one of them. What she doesn't know is that George is going to ask her to be his campaign manager."

"What?" Angelica couldn't hide her shock. "But she isn't qualified. She's never run a campaign in her life!"

Alexander shrugged. "George is going to hire a consultant, obviously. But it's just Congress, and, well, he is a local war hero. The election's in the bag. But it'll be great. Betsey likes organizing those kinds of things. If it goes well, maybe other politicians'll want to hire her."

"She has always been good at organizing events." Angelica allowed. "But Alex, are you sure that -"

"You two are up early." Eliza entered the kitchen before Angelica could finish her question. "What are you conspiring about?"

"Nothing." Angelica set down her coffee mug and stood up hastily. She didn't want Eliza to get the wrong idea about her and Alexander. Of course, Eliza was so trusting that it would be almost impossible to make her suspicious, but Angelica hadn't been around Alexander in so long that she forgot how to behave around him. She forgot how to treat him like a friend. "I, um, I was actually just saying that I need to get ready for work. Are you guys going to be okay until I get back? Church won't get home until dinner time, so you'll have to wait for me to finish at the studio."

"Wait." Eliza chased Angelica to the threshold of the kitchen. "Can't we come with you? I'd love to see where you work."

"Me too." Alexander agreed, taking a long sip of coffee.

"Hmm." Angelica shifted her weight from foot to foot. "I guess I don't have a whole lot of work today. We could go to London and meet Church for dinner and shopping afterward. How fast can you guys get ready?"

Eliza smiled ruefully. "Peggy's still asleep."

"Well, wake her up," Angelica said with a grin. She wandered down the hallway in the direction of her bedroom, calling. "Peggy, get up! I need you dressed and ready to go in half an hour!"

* * *

"You work here?" Alexander asked as he, Peggy, and Eliza followed Angelica through the studio. "You actually work here?"

"I work in a cubicle." Angelica reminded him, turning around so that he could see her eye roll. "It's hardly the most glamorous job in the world."

"But you get to be on camera!" Peggy chimed in, skipping ahead to match Angelica's pace. "Do you think that I could be on camera? I got all dressed up and everything."

"I don't think so, babe," Angelica answered, smiling down at Peggy fondly. "Not unless you learn a whole lot about NATO embargoes in the next twenty minutes."

"NATO embargoes?" Alexander commanded Angelica's attention again. "What kind of embargoes? If I know about them, can I be on camera?"

"You're certainly handsome enough," Eliza assured him, rustling his hair. Alexander grinned and smoothed his hair down before looking at Angelica curiously.

"You are handsome." Angelica agreed, but only because Eliza had said so first. "And I don't doubt that you know all about NATO. But we haven't screen-tested you. For all I know, you could freeze up and stand there like an idiot. Can't risk it."

"Ah." Alexander pretended to be hurt. "My dreams of fame are cut short yet again."

"How will you manage?" Angelica played along.

"I do what I can." Alexander grinned.

"Angelica." Anita McCullough - Angelica's boss - materialized in front of Angelica. As usual, she was clutching a clipboard tight to her chest. Her face was set in its usual expression of panic. "There you are. Is that what you're wearing?"

"Yes." Angelica was used to this loaded question.

"Oh…okay. That's fine. That's probably fine. Have you read the brief that Jeb sent you?"

"At three in the morning, yes. I appreciate that, by the way. Are all of the sources still good law?" Angelica asked, looking at Anita critically.

"As far as I know. I haven't had any time to do your job for you. Who are they?" Anita finally noticed Angelica's entourage. She noticed Alexander in particular. "You're handsome. Who are you? Another one of Angelica's admirers? You know she has a boyfriend, don't you?"

Anita was horribly desperate. She was an average looking woman with beyond average baggage. She clung to every nice guy like a barnacle on a rock. She was constantly trying to swoop in and charm every guy that Angelica brought to the station. She'd even tried her luck with Church a few times.

"Anita, this is my sister's boyfriend, Alexander. And these are my sisters, Peggy and Eliza." Angelica said, glancing back at them in amusement. She didn't miss Eliza grabbing Alexander's hand protectively. Alexander didn't notice either. He grinned down at Eliza like she was adorable for worrying about someone as inconsequential as Anita.

"I see." Anita cut her losses pretty quickly. "They won't interfere with your broadcast, will they? If they disrupt you even once, they'll be asked to leave. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Anita." Angelica rolled her eyes.

Anita spared Alexander one last look. "You're on in twenty. Fix your hair before you get on set."

"Yes, Anita," Angelica repeated, pushing past Anita towards her dressing room.

"She seems like a treat," Alexander remarked as they followed Angelica to her dressing room.

"She's the worst," Angelica said, pushing open the door to the broom closet she called her dressing room. She sprayed some hairspray into her hair and brushed it out before it caught her hair in a compromising position. "But she liked you."

"She sure did." Eliza looked at Alexander reproachfully. Alexander smiled at her.

"She's not really my type."

"Oh, really? Neurotic and pushy isn't your type?" Angelica teased, correcting her makeup ever-so-slightly before turning around to look at him. "She could boss you around for the rest of your life."

"And what man doesn't want that?" Alexander chuckled.

"Anyway," Angelica sighed, exiting the dressing room again. Her entourage followed. "She's my only hope of getting a job when I graduate. So, Alex, flirt with her if you can, and the rest of you…just…talk about how inspired you are after my segment."

"You got it, Annie." Alexander chuckled. Eliza scowled at him. He smiled down at her apologetically.

Angelica smiled at them both before walking off in the direction of her designated desk. She smiled at the camera men who worked with her every day. They grinned and waved back. Alexander, Eliza, and Peggy crowded around the cameras, just as close as the camera men would allow them to stand.

The newscast went fairly well. Angelica said her piece. She tried her best to avoid meeting Alexander's eyes the whole time. She didn't want to ruin her professional reputation by smiling like a lovesick teenager all throughout her interview.

Once it was over, she returned to the warm company of Alexander, Eliza, and Peggy. It was now nearing 4 o'clock. Church would be off of work soon. Angelica pulled out her phone and texted him before he made the journey from London to Oxford.

 **Dinner and shopping in London?**

Church responded straight away.

 **Would love to. Will make reservations at Alyssa's for 8. Love you.**

 **Xoxo John**

Angelica put her phone back in her bag. She turned her attention back to Alexander, Eliza, and Peggy.

"Church made dinner reservations for us in London. If we want to avoid traffic, we should head out soon. We can shop around while we wait for our reservations, maybe we could show you the sights. What do you think?"

"Yes!" Peggy grinned. "Definitely yes."

"I'm game for London. What do you think, Betsey?" Alexander put his arm around Eliza's waist and looked down at Eliza with a fond smile. Angelica tried her very best to ignore the twinge of jealousy in her heart at the sight of them together.

"That sounds like fun." Eliza smiled, her face flushed with happiness.

"Great. Then let's get a cab to the train station." Angelica forced a pleasant tone for the sake of disguising her feelings for Alexander.

If she had feelings for Alexander.

Which she definitely didn't.

They found a cab outside of the news station and made their way to the train station. They purchased round trip tickets to and from London and settled into their seats with their phones in hand. Peggy began texting some boy in the Air Force that she had started dating. Eliza watched a documentary on the royal family that she had found on Netflix. Alexander read through a speech that George had sent him to edit. Angelica settled for responding to Jefferson's most recent email, sneaking glances at Alexander in-between sentences.

When the train finally came to a halt at the London station, Angelica led everyone outside of the station and through the bustling streets of London.

"This is so exciting." Peggy declared, skipping around the group as they made their way through the city. "I've never been in a city like this before."

"We live in New York." Eliza laughed. "We're always in a city like this!"

"Oh, no." Peggy disagreed, shaking her head emphatically. "Not one like this. Look at all of the people! Listen to how many languages are being spoken! Look at all of the food trucks!"

"Pegasaurus, have you ever been to New York City?" Alexander teased.

"Daddy doesn't like me to spend too much time in the city," Peggy replied, rolling her eyes. "He thinks that it will make me 'rough around the edges'."

"That's why you don't tell Daddy." Angelica reminded her with a playful smile.

"Ah, rebellious Annie." Alexander turned to look at Angelica, smiling that special smile just for her. "I've missed her."

Angelica's heart fluttered.

"I have, too." Eliza chimed in.

Angelica's heart sank.

"Hey, is that Church?" Peggy asked, creating a visor with her hand to shade her eyes.

Angelica's heart sank further still. She followed Peggy's stare and sure enough, there was Church. He was walking through the street, stepping over cracks and puddles to avoid getting his suit dirty. He beamed when he caught sight of Angelica and her family.

"Angie!" He shouted, drawing the attention of a number of passersby. He waved at them, looking extremely goofy in the process. He didn't seem to notice. He just hurried over to join Angelica and the rest of the little Schuyler clan. "Hey. How was work?"

"Oh, you know." Angelica gave him the usual answer. "How about you?"

"Same old." Church gave her the usual answer. He then turned to look at Eliza, Peggy, and Alexander. "What did you guys think? Isn't she impressive?"

Eliza nodded, smiling. Peggy shrugged, smiling sheepishly. Alexander was the only one who actually vocalized his feelings. "It was incredible. She was incredible."

"Yeah." Church glanced at Alexander before returning his attention to Eliza and Peggy. "So what do you think, girls? Do you want to shop around for a little while? I've scoped out a few places that I think you'll like."

"Since when do you care about shopping?" Angelica asked as they began walking down a narrow pathway towards the other side of a row of buildings.

"Since Peggy sent me a text asking me to make sure I knew about all the best places," Church answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I couldn't let a Schuyler girl down. That's practically a crime."

"Can we stop talking about it and go already?" Peggy asked impatiently, craning her head forward in order to catch a glimpse of the shops that Church was talking about. "I've got a bunch of Christmas money burning a hole in my pocket."

"Okay. My coworker told me that she always finds the best sweaters in that store right there -" Church hadn't finished his sentence before Peggy took off in the direction of the store he pointed out. Church didn't seem to mind. He just grinned at Angelica like they were in on some kind of inside joke.

"Hey, John?" Eliza looked up at Church with doe eyes as they continued down the street. Both Angelica and Alexander looked at her in surprise as she spoke. "Do you mind helping me look for something really quick?"

"Are you sure that you want his help, honey?" Angelica questioned, her tone playful but her intentions serious. "I wouldn't mind looking with you."

"No!" Eliza blushed furiously. "You can't, because…well, I'm looking for your Christmas present. If you saw, it would ruin the whole thing."

"We'll only be a minute," Church assured Angelica with a smile.

"Alexander, would you keep Angelica company while we're gone?" Eliza asked, oblivious to the way that Angelica and Alexander had been smiling at each other ever since they had arrived in England.

"Of course." Alexander didn't seem bothered by Eliza's request. "So long as Annie doesn't mind being stuck with me while you shop."

"Not one bit." Angelica couldn't restrain her smile. "You two have fun. And find me something pretty."

"Yes, ma'am." Church bowed mockingly before following Eliza into a small store along the row of shops.

As they disappeared from sight, Alexander wandered over to a brick guardrail that blocked the shops from the street. He hopped up, taking a seat on the guardrail. He folded his hands and let them hang between his legs. He stared at Angelica thoughtfully as she approached the guardrail and took a seat beside him.

"He's going to propose."

"Huh?" Angelica hadn't been listening all the way. She heard Alexander utter the word "propose" and had panicked. Surely he wasn't going to propose to Eliza. Not yet. Not when neither of them had a penny to their name.

"Church." Alexander nodded towards the shop that Church and Eliza had just disappeared into. "He's going to propose to you. On Christmas, if I understand the situation correctly."

"Oh." Angelica deflated.

Well, she was hardly surprised. After all, she and Church had been together for nearly six years now. Not only that, but they lived together. They had adopted a dog together. Church promised to talk to his father about transferring back to the States if Angelica found a newscasting job that she enjoyed in the States. Marriage seemed like just another thing to do along the way. As inevitable as the setting sun.

"You don't seem very excited." Alexander looked at her carefully.

Angelica shrugged. "It makes sense. We've been together for so long, and, well, there's really no one better for me than Church."

"You don't believe that." Alexander didn't sound so certain. He was looking at Angelica like he was asking a question, hoping for an answer, instead of making a statement of fact. "You can't believe that."

"He's good to me," Angelica replied earnestly. "He treats me nicely, we have the same opinion on things, and he loves me so much."

"Do you love him?" Alexander wondered, affording Angelica a pleading look that she did not completely understand.

Angelica stared back at him, silently begging him to understand. "He's all I know."

Alexander sighed and wiped his hands on his pant legs. He looked down at the ground, his gaze intent. He was thinking about something. Hard. When he looked up at Angelica, his gaze was steely. "Annie -"

"All finished!" Eliza's voice sounded unnaturally light after the heavy weight of Alexander's words. Angelica tried to smile as Eliza dangled a little bag in front of her face. Church took Angelica's hand in his. The warmth of it made Angelica nauseous. Alexander looked at Angelica like she had disappointed him terribly. That only made her feel worse.

* * *

Alexander didn't speak to Angelica all throughout dinner. He just wolfed down his fish and chips before picking at the mashed potatoes that Eliza had gotten with her shepherd's pie.

"You should have ordered more food if you were only going to eat mine." Eliza teased without any actual malice.

Alexander took another bite of the potatoes before kissing her nose. Eliza dissolved into a pile of giggles.

Church, meanwhile, ate his own food. He left Angelica's alone entirely. He never offered her a bite, and she never offered him one. They did not touch each other. They smiled politely when they happened to make eye contact. That was all.

They finished dinner and returned to the train station. On the train, Eliza fell asleep with her head on Alexander's shoulder. Alexander kept trying to fall asleep, but Peggy would poke him every time his eyes would start to droop. He smiled at her good-naturedly.

Church, meanwhile, looked through a few documents that his father had emailed him while they were at dinner. Angelica texted Jefferson, pretending to be far more occupied with her phone than she really was.

More than anything, she avoided looking at Alexander. She could bear the loneliness of her relationship, and she could even bear pretending to be happy about consigning herself to Church for the rest of her life, but she could not bear the disappointed look on Alexander's face.

* * *

Mr. and Mrs. Schuyler returned from France on Christmas Eve. They were laden with presents but insisted that everyone wait for Christmas morning to open their presents. Everyone except for Taz, that was. Mrs. Schuyler, in a fit of uncharacteristic fondness, had bought the dog upwards of 20 things; toys, treats, beds, and sweaters.

On Christmas morning, Peggy woke everyone up at six in the morning. The sun was just beginning to peek over the clouds. There were no white Christmases in Oxford.

As it was Angelica's home, she distributed the presents among the family. Once everyone had at least one present in their lap (save for Taz, who was happily chewing on a toy rope that Mrs. Schuyler had given him the night before), they were allowed to tear into the wrapping paper and enjoy their presents.

Angelica got Eliza a French cookbook that was actually in French. Eliza had always loved cooking.

"You'll have to translate for me." Eliza teased Alexander.

"I'd be happy to if it means you'll cook for me more often." Alexander agreed happily.

"You speak French?" Angelica couldn't resist intervening. Alexander looked over at her in surprise. She had been avoiding him since their conversation in London. She couldn't bear the mopey looks that speaking to him would merit. But today was Christmas. There was no moping on Christmas.

"I do," Alexander answered, his mouth tilting into a gentle smile. "My mother taught me when I was young."

"He's completely fluent," Eliza added, placing a hand on Alexander's arm. She loved to brag about him. "One day, he's going to take me to France and put it to good use."

Angelica smiled before unwrapping her own present to distract herself.

Eliza had gotten her a sweater that had been in her online shopping cart for months. It was most certainly not from the small shop that she and Church had stopped at a few days prior. Angelica did not mention it.

Alexander got Eliza a "Washington for Congress 2017" t-shirt. Eliza looked at Alexander questioningly when she got a good look at it.

"He wants you - and only you - to be his campaign manager," Alexander explained excitedly. "If you want the job, of course."

"Yes!" Eliza exclaimed breathlessly. "Oh, wow, yes, definitely! When can I start? Can I call him right now? What time is it in America? I want to thank him straight away!"

She launched herself at Alexander, just about knocking him on his back as she hugged him and pressed a kiss to his cheek - keeping modest while in front of Mr. and Mrs. Schuyler. Mrs. Schuyler still blushed and shook her head. A smile gave her away.

Eliza had gotten Alexander a cashmere sweater and a matching tie that she had seen him coveting months earlier. Alexander seemed overjoyed.

Angelica got Alexander an extremely expensive bottle of Scotch and a crystal decanter. She hadn't known what he liked after three years in his absence. Mr. Schuyler seemed just as excited to drink the Scotch as Alexander; maybe a little bit more.

Just when it looked like the gifts were becoming scarce, Alexander handed Angelica a heavy shopping bag. When she looked at him inquisitively, he smiled sheepishly.

"There's four presents in there. For each year that I thought we'd be spending Christmas together."

The gift for the first year that Angelica missed Christmas at home was a framed picture from prom. Angelica and Alexander were grinning at each other while Aaron Burr tripped over a run in the carpet in the background. Angelica laughed when she opened it, tears coming to her eyes.

The gift for the second year that Angelica missed Christmas at home was a pair of rain boots with the constitution written on them. "I heard it rained a lot. I thought that you might get cold." Alexander explained bashfully. "And I wanted you to have something that would make you remember our A in government."

The gift for the third year that Angelica missed Christmas at home was a book of 1,000 adventures for the bold and reckless. "It made me think of you." Alexander smiled, glancing at Church so quickly that Angelica nearly missed it. She smiled back at him apologetically.

The final gift, the gift that he had purchased for the Christmas in England, was a stationary set.

"If I'm only going to see you every four years, you'd better get good at writing me," Alexander said, grinning at Angelica in amusement.

"I will," Angelica promised though she had never written an honest letter in her entire life.

Oh, she loved him.

She'd forgotten how much she'd loved him over the past three years, but it was back in full force now. Now that he was sitting there, a ribbon that Peggy had stuck on his head, wearing a hideous Christmas sweater that Mrs. Schuyler had forced upon him, smiling at Angelica like they knew something that no one else in the world did, it was so perfectly clear that he was it for her. He'd made her happier in the few days that he had been in Oxford than Church had made Angelica in the entire three years they'd lived together.

"Hold on, Angie." Church halted her from cleaning up the wrapping paper just yet. "There's still one present left."

Angelica's heart sank. She had a sneaking suspicion that she knew what this last present was.

Sure enough, Church sank down to one knee. Eliza pretended to be surprised. Peggy didn't. She was too busy taking pictures on her phone. Mrs. Schuyler shushed Mr. Schuyler, who was beginning to ask Alexander if he'd mind sharing his Scotch. Angelica didn't dare look to see Alexander's expression.

"Angie, we've been dating forever. Well, not forever, but…it feels like forever. In a good way. Anyway, I want to spend forever with you, really. So, uh, would you marry me?" Church fumbled with the little black box. It went tumbling across the living room floor, landing at Angelica's feet. Taz perked up from the couch, hoping something edible might have been dropped, but Angelica swept the little black box up before the Taz could even jump down from the couch. She plucked the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her ring finger with no fanfare.

She smiled at Church, unable to keep the sad tone out of her voice as she said, "Of course I'll marry you, Church."

* * *

 **Rewind**

"I'm going to miss you, Annie." Alexander professed as he drove Angelica to the airport. Angelica's family had initially requested to come along with her to the airport, but Angelica had denied this request. Saying goodbye at home was easier. Cleaner. Plus it afforded her the opportunity to say goodbye to Alexander properly.

"And I'll miss you, Alex," Angelica admitted sheepishly. "But I'll be home for Christmas. And then we'll have all summer together. You can come to Oxford, I can show you the sights…"

"Annie, you're the only sight in England worth seeing."

Alexander parked the car. Angelica smiled at him before retrieving her suitcase from the trunk. One suitcase. That was all that she was bringing. She wanted to pack light, to heighten the sense of adventure.

"I can't believe this is happening." She said, clutching her boarding pass to her chest as they stood beside Angelica's car. Alexander would return it to the Schuyler mansion once her flight took off. Eliza was to inherit it. "I can't believe I'm actually going to do this."

"Yeah, me neither." Alexander agreed, running a hand through his hair. "Need help with your bags?"

"No, I want to do this by myself. I want to do all of this by myself. I've never done anything by myself before, did you know that?" Angelica's question was rhetorical, but she still turned around to look at Alexander as she crossed the massive parking lot. "And now I've got my own apartment, my own job, and my own country!"

"It's not your country." Alexander reminded her teasingly.

"It might as well be." Angelica countered. "Nobody knows me there. I don't owe anyone over there a single thing; not my time, not my energy, nothing. It's entirely my own."

"Now boarding flight 87 to Heathrow Airport." A voice over an intercom announced to the entire airport as Angelica and Alexander stepped into the airport.

"Oh! That's me. I guess I'm running late." Angelica smiled sheepishly before hurrying to check her bags before making the grand sprint through security.

"An entire flight?" Alexander asked, running alongside her to the baggage check-in. He sounded aghast. "Surely you get a private flight to your own country? Don't they know? Ma'am," He directed his attention to the horrified woman checking Angelica's bags for her. "Don't you know that you are checking the bags of the owner of England?"

"I'm sorry?" The woman looked from Alexander to Angelica confusedly.

"Don't listen to him," Angelica said, turning to smirk at Alexander. "He's crazy. I'm leaving the country to get away from him."

"Okay…well, you had better run and catch your flight, Miss Schuyler." The woman spared Alexander one last puzzled look before struggling to smile at Angelica politely.

"Thank you." Angelica skipped out of line so someone else could check their bags. Alexander followed her, unfazed by the way that the woman behind the desk was still staring at him.

"I have to go," Angelica told him flatly, glancing in the direction of security. "I'll miss my flight."

"Okay." Alexander's smile faltered. "I won't try to keep you any longer than I should, then."

Angelica stared at him for a second before lunging forward and wrapping her arms around his waist, pressing her face into his chest as she hugged him as tight as she could.

"I'm going to miss you, Alex." Her eyes were burning with tears. She didn't know when tears had started to form in her eyes. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"You're going to be great," Alexander assured her, running a hand through her hair. "And I'll see you at Christmas. I'll get you a present."

"You better." Angelica tried to smile as she untangled herself from Alexander's arms, wiping the tears from her eyes. "And it better be a good one, too."

"Sure thing." Alexander laughed for a split second, then paused, just sort of looking at her. "I love you, Annie."

"I love you too, Alex."

"Now boarding flight 87." The man over the intercom reminded the airport.

"I should -" Angelica looked back at security regretfully.

Alexander pulled her forward and kissed her before she could finish her remark. Upon relinquishing her, he just smiled that smile that was just for her and said, "Go."

Angelica smiled back at him for a moment before turning on her heel and running towards security. Towards Oxford. Towards the next few months without Alexander.

* * *

The year flew by and the outcome was one that Angelica foresaw the moment that she stepped off the plane: She loved Oxford.

She loved the academic environment. She loved that there were hallways in the school that she had seen in the Harry Potter films. She loved her History of Film professor, who got her an internship working for a local news station. She loved that everyone around her called French Fries, "Chips," and Cookies, "Crisps." She loved the rain, she loved the cobblestone streets, and she loved the little apartment she rented in the yellow building at the corner of the street between her favorite restaurant and the office in which she interned.

What she did not love, was the noticeable lack of Alexander Hamilton.

Sure, she made friends to pass the time with, but no one compared to Alexander. How could anyone even try to compare to Alexander?

She spent time with him during Christmas, but it was a mere three days before he had to go back to work - he had gotten himself a part-time job as a research assistant for one of his professors - and she had to go back to England. It wasn't enough.

But finally, _finally_ , May had arrived, bringing summer break with it.

Jefferson got out of school first. He was comfortably settled in the Jefferson summer home in France by May 2nd. Angelica got out of school second. She visited Jefferson for a weekend but returned to her little apartment in the yellow building on the following Monday morning. Jefferson then visited her for a weekend. He tagged along with her when she went to her internship, he brought her sight-seeing, and he bought her a series of fancy dinners. She had been living off of cheap food since she started paying for her own groceries.

Three weeks after Angelica's summer break had begun, Alexander arrived. Conveniently - and blessedly - Jefferson chose that time to take a two-week vacation to Italy to visit James Madison and his family in their summer home.

But Thomas Jefferson was the last thing on Angelica's mind as she stood in Heathrow Airport, waiting for Alexander to materialize. She was holding a bag full of Taco Bell - Alexander's favorite. She craned her neck and danced around the crowd gathered by the gate, hoping to catch the first glimpse of Alexander.

When she finally saw him, she didn't leap into action like she thought she would. She was caught off guard by the sight of him. He was so extraordinarily handsome. He was like a newly minted penny in a pile of rusted nickels. He shone so brightly that it was almost hard to look at him. And yet, Angelica couldn't look away.

Because she was so spellbound, it was Alexander who approached her. He spotted her in the crowd straight away. He grinned that special grin of his and crossed the room, pushing people out of the way in the process.

"Annie." He pulled her into a hug before she could say anything. The Taco Bell bag wrinkled. Angelica thought fleetingly of the food that was being crushed. "God, you're beautiful. I always forget how beautiful you are. What's this?" He looked down at the Taco Bell bag.

"Lunch?" Angelica responded sheepishly. "I thought that you might be hungry after your flight. I know that they don't serve anything on the flight besides pretzels. And I know that you don't like pretzels."

"So you ran around the airport looking for Taco Bell." Alexander smiled at her fondly.

"They actually don't have Taco Bell in this airport. The only Taco Bell I could find was several blocks from my flat. Most people here know better than to eat Taco Bell." Angelica sniped as they walked towards the exit of the airport. Alexander, meanwhile, fished into the bag and set to work eating a taco.

"Mm, I've heard they have no taste here," Alexander remarked, his mouth full of food.

"Hey! You're now insulting my people." Angelica reminded him proudly.

They stopped at the curb just outside of the airport. Angelica did not have nearly enough money to buy a car, nor did she have the energy to figure out how to drive in England. So they waited for a cab to come along. When such a cab came along, they tossed Alexander's suitcase in the trunk and slid into the backseat. Angelica wound her arm around Alexander's arm.

"You can't eat that here, mate." The cab driver proclaimed, glancing at Alexander through the rear-view mirror.

"Oh, of course." Alexander agreed easily, shoving his half-eaten taco back into the brown crinkly bag that it came in. He turned to look at Angelica, smiling. "Since when do you rely on public transportation? Before today, I couldn't imagine you without your trusty car."

"I don't have money for a trusty car," Angelica informed him, also smiling. "I hope you haven't been dating me for my money, Alex, because when we get to my apartment, you are going to realize how poor I am very quickly."

"Poor?" Alexander seemed delighted at the prospect. "Annie, honey, I don't care if you're poor. I've been poor all my life. It's all I know. But how's Jefferson handling your new poverty?"

Angelica wrinkled her nose. "Do you really want to talk about Tom?"

Alexander shrugged, still smiling. "I just want to know if he's still as shallow as he was a year ago."

Angelica looked around like she was about to tell Alexander something confidential. Alexander's smile grew twice as wide. "He came over to stay last weekend. He wound up booking a hotel room. He said it was because he didn't want to take up my space, but I caught him googling diseases that can be transmitted by cockroaches."

"You're lying." Alexander's smile didn't falter. In fact, he laughed. It seemed that in the months that they had been apart, Alexander had grown less insecure about Jefferson. Angelica was glad. "He didn't really do that."

"I swear to god." Angelica cackled. "He wouldn't even come up to my apartment after the first day. And he would shower every time I came over. I wouldn't be surprised if he bleached his entire house before taking off to spend a few weeks with the Madisons. I think that I scared him off."

"You're joking. He's already ditched you for Madison?" Alexander asked incredulously. "You? For Madison? Unbelievable. And maybe a little disappointing. I was going to tag along to that summer house of his. I wanted to see he decorates just as badly as he dresses."

"You know…" Angelica hummed, a devious smirk playing on her lips. "If you really want to see the house, I could show it to you."

Alexander cocked his head, grinning. "Go on."

"He always leaves a spare key taped to the bottom of the mailbox. He's in Italy for the rest of the month. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we stopped by for an hour. Or a weekend. You know, whatever feels right." Angelica leaned forward in her seat, feeling the same breathless sense of exhilaration that she hadn't felt since seeing Alexander for Christmas. They'd snuck out of mass when their parents weren't paying attention. Angelica was certain that neither she nor Alexander had ever been so quiet in their lives.

"What do you think, Annie? Are you dreaming of a luxuries French vacation?" Alexander asked, his eyes alight.

"You know what? I think I just might be."

* * *

"This is insane," Alexander exclaimed, his voice echoing through the grand halls of the Jefferson summer house. "This is just insane. How do they still have money, if they're wasting it all on stupid shit like this? Look at this!"

He had found the larger-than-life oil portrait of Mrs. Jefferson's favorite dog, Cynthia. He stared at it for a moment before turning to look at Angelica incredulously. "Are you seeing this?"

"I know." Angelica walked over to Alexander and took his hand in hers. He turned to look at her, his eyes warm but his grin still amazed. "And it's all ours. For free."

"Do you think Jefferson left some of his clothes here?" Alexander's eyes were sparkling. "I'm dying to see if he actually owns any appropriate clothing."

"You're so catty." Angelica rolled her eyes.

"Are you coming, or not?" Alexander started for the staircase. He turned to look at Angelica briefly before continuing.

"Of course I am." Angelica huffed, running up the stairs along with him.

She told him which spacious bedroom belonged to Thomas once the reached the top of the staircase. In hindsight, that might have been a mistake. Alexander burst through the door and immediately started rifling through all of Jefferson's belongings.

"Look at this cologne!" Alexander remarked, gesturing to a tall bottle on the top of Jefferson's dresser. "It's the same kind that my roommate at school wears. It costs $12 at Walmart. His father's got more money than God, and he's still buying cheap cologne."

"Since when are you the expert on cologne?" Angelica asked, sitting down on Jefferson's bed. She watched Alexander tear through the room, an amused smile situated on her face.

The whole situation was fairly amusing, actually. After Alexander had expressed an interest in the Jeffersons' summer home, they had gone to Angelica's apartment just long enough for her to pack her backs, then had asked the cab driver to take them right back to Heathrow Airport. From there, they had bought the cheapest flight to France and had made their way to the summer home. Angelica was exhausted after the journey. Alexander, it seemed, had never been more energized in his life.

"You don't have to be an expert to know that you ought to pay more than $12 for a bottle of cologne." Alexander retorted, smirking. He then moved on to the next discovery. "Do those envelopes have your name on them?"

"What envelopes?" Angelica asked lazily, not moving from her comfortable spot on Jefferson's bed.

"These." Alexander held up the envelopes in question. Sure enough, they did have Angelica's name on them.

"Oh." Angelica wasn't too concerned. "Yeah, those. You know Tom. He writes me fan mail. He thinks it's funny."

"Fan mail?" Alexander flipped through the envelopes curiously. He peered at the contents of one envelope in particular before returning them to their original place on Jefferson's desk. "Do people really still write fan mail?"

"Apparently. I get a couple of letters a week." Angelica shrugged.

"Really?" Alexander turned to look at Angelica, a fascinated smile on his lips. "Jefferson sends you that many?"

"Who says it's just Tom?" Angelica asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Oh, is it not?" Alexander asked.

"No. I'm afraid my reach has extended beyond just Tom," Angelica smirked. "I've got fans in the local area, too. One guy sent me his eyelashes in the mail one time. The news station made me take out a P.O. box in order to avoid any stalkers knowing where I work."

"No kidding." Alexander hummed thoughtfully. "But you're only a minor correspondent."

"But I'm cute," Angelica responded, batting her eyelashes. "Don't you think?"

"Honey, you're gorgeous," Alexander confirmed with a grin.

"Alright then. Now you know why I get fan letters."

"Yes, I do." Alexander nodded his head, still smiling. "Although now I think that I'd better write you some fan mail, too."

"You should. A smart guy like you; I'd love to see what you can write." Angelica flirted.

"Oh, honey, you would be amazed at what I can write." Alexander winked. He then turned his head to look around Jefferson's room some more. "Oh, pinch me, I must be dreaming. I think I just found his closet."

"You boys are obsessed with each other." Angelica rolled her eyes, flopping back onto Jefferson's bed. She allowed her eyes to droop close as she listened to Alexander rifling through Jefferson's closet. It was nearly midnight and she was exhausted. She and Alexander had spent the entire day traveling.

"He owns a clip-on tie. Who in the right mind would even buy a clip-on tie?" Alexander called from the closet. "Wait a minute…does he hoard wine in his closet? Why would he keep wine in his closet?"

"Mm. It's legal to drink wine in Europe when you're 18 or older." Angelica murmured sleepily.

Alexander emerged from Jefferson's closet, sporting an expensive-looking blazer with a silk lapel. He was also holding a massive bottle of Chardonnay and two glasses in his hands. Angelica cracked her eyes open as Alexander approached her. She smiled blearily.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Chardonnay, Ms. Schuyler?" He offered, gesturing to the bottle.

"Oh, yes, Mr. Hamilton. But you had better give me only a spot. I wouldn't want you to take advantage of my delicate composition." Angelica answered with a flirtatious smile.

"I would never." Alexander agreed, grinning as he poured two glasses. Angelica sat up as he passed one of the glasses over to her. He sat down next to her on the bed before taking a sip out of his own glass and wrinkling his nose. "Ugh. His taste in wine is just as bad as his taste in clothes."

Angelica took a sip. It was sour, but all white wines tasted sour to her. Despite living in a country that allowed her to drink wine at her leisure, she had not yet acquired the very acquired taste of wine. "Tastes just like every other wine to me."

"That in itself is a tragedy." Alexander decided. "Tomorrow, we're going to have a wine tasting. None of Jefferson's wine is safe. By the end of our French adventure, you are going to love wine."

"You're just trying to get me drunk." Angelica accused, smiling drowsily.

"Could you blame me if I was?" Alexander countered playfully.

"Mm. No. Now give me a foot rub while I go to sleep." Angelica ordered, setting her wine down on the nightstand before turning on her side and surrendering herself to her exhaustion.

"You got it, Annie." Alexander agreed, setting down his glass of wine and placing Angelica's feet on his lap. He started to work rubbing her feet. Angelica fell asleep almost immediately.

From that point forward, Angelica and Alexander enjoyed a vacation that was destined to be one of the best adventures that Angelica had ever had. The day following their arrival, they had a private wine tasting in the Jeffersons' kitchen. Alexander rounded up every bottle of wine he could find in the massive mansion and poured two glasses of each. By the fifth glass, all of the wine started tasting better. By the tenth glass of wine, Angelica fell asleep on the kitchen counter. Four glasses of wine later, Alexander joined her in slumber.

The day after that, they went out to breakfast to recover from their hangover. Alexander wore Jefferson's clothes out and about. He received a number of compliments. After accepting them graciously, he would smile at Angelica, like they were in on a secret that no one else in the world could understand. Angelica would just roll her eyes and smile to herself. While they were talking back to the Jeffersons' mansion, Alexander noticed that the local country club was hosting a gala that night. He immediately got it into his head that he and Angelica should crash that gala. With Jefferson's clothes and Angelica's newfound appreciation for wine, he reasoned, they would blend right in.

"I can't believe that we're doing this," Angelica said as they stepped out of a cab in front of the country club just a few hours later. She was wearing her best dress and a pair of earrings that she had found in Mrs. Jefferson's room. Alexander was wearing a Marc Jacobs tuxedo that he'd found in Thomas' closet.

"It'll be fun," Alexander assured her, his eyes gleaming. "Besides, what've we got to lose? We'll drop Jefferson's name and see where it gets us. Best case, it's an open bar and complimentary h'orderves all night long. Worst case, we go back to the mansion and eat Jefferson's food for free."

"Eliza isn't here to bail us out if we get into trouble." Angelica reminded him playfully.

"Jefferson would bail you out if you called him," Alexander replied confidently. "And you can bail me out once he bails you out."

"Names?" The bouncer at the door demanded, his French accent thick.

" _Je suis desole, mais notre ami nous a envoye a sa place_." Alexander was speaking French. Since when did Alexander know French? " _Il s'appelle_ Thomas Jefferson. _On nous a dit que ce ne serait pas un problème_."

" _Bien sûr. Par_ ici _, monsieur_." The bouncer said hastily, stepping aside and gesturing indoors to Alexander. Angelica looked at Alexander, amazed, as she followed him into the country club.

"Since when do you speak French?" She whispered as they crossed the club towards the bar. "And what the hell did you just say?"

"I've spoken French my whole life," Alexander responded, chuckling. "And I just told him that Jefferson sent us in his place. I figured his name would get us through the door. I was right. Now, what do you say I buy you a drink, Ms. Schuyler?"

"It's an open bar." Angelica reminded him playfully.

"You're damn right, it is. Which means I've got enough money to buy you drinks all night long." Alexander smirked. "I'll be right back."

"You don't even know what I want." Angelica cocked her head to the side, smiling.

"Oh, Annie." Alexander grinned toothily. "I always know what you want."

He disappeared into the crowd nearest the bar, leaving Angelica alone in a room full of fancy people speaking a language that she didn't know. She looked around uncomfortably. She was so rarely uncomfortable at social engagements. She wondered if this was how introverts felt.

"Hullo." A man with an accent that Angelica recognized as an English one - more specifically, a Cornish one - said cheerfully, approaching Angelica. He had a drink in hand, and judging from the red in his cheeks, it was not his first drink that evening. "You look familiar. Have we met somewhere?"

"Oh, I don't think so…" Angelica answered, examining the man's facial features for anything recognizable. There was nothing. She had certainly never met this man before.

"I know!" The man didn't want for Angelica to work through all of the ways that she could have encountered him. "You're the bird on Oxford telly, aren't you? I've got a friend, he's half in love with you. Shares your YouTube segments all the time. Terrorizes everyone on social media with it, really."

"I'm sorry," Angelica said, smiling.

She wasn't actually sorry. In fact, she was glad. She was thrilled that her small segments were getting around. The fact that her segments were getting around predominantly by overenthusiastic fans at the expense of their friends on social media hardly mattered to her. Eliza spammed Angelica's feed with Rachel Ray cooking videos every single day; someone else could be spammed by Angelica updating the world on its precarious position.

"Aw, don't be. If it wasn't you, it would be someone else. Kind of a nutter, Edwin. I'm David, by the by. David Bartlett. You'll have to forgive me, but for all the videos I've seen of you, I never actually got your name."

"Angelica Schuyler." Angelica extended her hand the way that her father taught her when she was young. David Bartlett shook her hand and smiled.

"Pleasure to meet you, Angelica," David remarked. He then leaned in closer to Angelica, like he was about to tell her something confidential. "You know, Leo Fitzgerald over there has an in with BBC. I think his cousin is on the board…something like that. You ought to introduce yourself before the night is over. I'm sure he'd be able to give you a few names and numbers if you were looking to expand beyond local news."

"Really?" Angelica asked, astonished. "Do you think that he would actually talk to me? Wouldn't I be bothering him? This isn't really a business environment."

David threw his head back and laughed. "Oh, darling, you really are new to the industry. This is the room where it all happens! Everybody who's anybody is here. Come, I'll introduce you to Fitz myself."

"Oh, just a moment. My date is still getting my drink." Angelica smiled at David apologetically before glancing in the direction of the bar. The bartender was handing Alexander two drinks. Alexander smiled at the bartender before turning to look for Angelica. When he spotted her beside David, he smiled and gestured towards the drinks, indicating that he was on his way.

"There you are." Alexander made his way across the room quickly. He handed Angelica a drink - something that looked suspiciously like a martini - before turning to smile at David. He extended his hand smoothly. " _Bonjour. Je suis_ Alexander Hamilton."

Angelica smiled wryly. "Alexander, he speaks English."

"But your French is certainly worth showing off. David Bartlett. A pleasure." David shook Alexander's hand with a smile. "I was just telling Ms. Schuyler that I could introduce her to some people with influence at BBC."

"BBC." Alexander echoed, his eyebrows raised but his expression betraying nothing else. "Wow."

"Wouldn't it be incredible if I could get a job there?" Angelica asked him, hoping that he would show a bit more excitement for her than he currently was.

"Yeah." Alexander rubbed his jaw. "Yeah, I guess it would."

"Then let's not waste any more time. I'll call him right over. Fitz! Fitz, you old scoundrel, get on over here! There's someone you ought to meet!" David turned to call to someone nearby; a balding man who was, perhaps, 60 years old. His date was closer to 30 years old. Angelica chose not to focus on that fact as both Leo Fitzgerald and his much younger date approached them.

"What's this, Dave?" Leo spoke English too. Angelica smiled gratefully.

"This is Angelica Schuyler." David gestured to her proudly, like she was a gem that he had discovered all on his own. "She works for the Oxford News at present, but she is a marvel that should not remain at such a low level. What can you do for her, with your connections?"

"Angelica Schuyler?" Leo looked Angelica up and down in a way that did not make her feel altogether comfortable. "I don't think that I've ever heard your name before. Do you have a reel?"

"Yes." Angelica agreed.

"Are you any good at interviewing?"

"I'm excellent at interviewing."

"Even with intelligent men, the likes of who you'll find in English politics?"

"I think that I can handle them."

"They all do, doll. Do you keep up with politics?"

"As best as one can."

"Where did you go to school?"

"I'm currently attending Oxford."

"Hm. So you're not all looks." Leo looked Angelica over again. Angelica heard a crack. Judging from the white shade that Alexander's knuckles had taken on, she could guess where the sound had come from.

"No," Angelica answered, frowning. "Though that appears to be all that matters to you. It was very nice to meet you, Mr. Fitzgerald, and Mr. Bartlett, I am indebted to you for thinking of me, but if this is the kind of attitude that BBC takes towards hiring, I'm afraid that I would spend all of my time in human resources instead of doing the required research. That wouldn't do, now would it? Alexander, would you like to go examine that painting over there?"

"Annie, I'd love nothing more." Alexander grinned.

Leo looked dumbfounded as they walked away. David looked amused. Angelica didn't spend more than a second worrying about their reactions to her remark. She focused on the feeling of Alexander's hand on the small of her back, propelling her forward. She also focused on the bitter taste of the drink that he had retrieved for her.

"What is this?"

"A martini." So Angelica's first guess had been correct. "I thought it might be a fitting tribute to the past. Gin for Madison, who would have been here with Jefferson if you hadn't scared him off to Italy."

Angelica rolled her eyes. "I thought that you were supposed to be the most agreeable man on the other side of the pond. It seems to me that you don't like anybody that you meet. Madison, Jefferson…David, Leo…"

"You didn't like them, either." Alexander reminded her. "They were sexist assholes who just wanted you to trot around a set looking pretty to help viewers digest their political agenda."

"Okay, then how do you explain your hatred for Jefferson and Madison? Surely they're not more of the same." Angelica reminded him, taking another sip of her martini. She wrinkled her nose at the bitterness. She didn't know how James Bond actually drank those terrible things.

"Jefferson is." Alexander reasoned. "That's plain enough to see. He's just as sexist as the rest of them. I don't know if you remember, but in government, he suggested that women shouldn't be allowed in the White House at all. He said that they were distractions!"

"And you said that it was the duty of every man in politics to make sure that the women were taken care of; cherished, I think the word was." Angelica retorted, rolling her eyes. "You're just as bad as he is, just on the opposite end of the spectrum. He's the hermit terrified of women, and you're the chauvinistic knight trying to rescue a damsel who is perfectly content in her tower. Don't throw rocks when you live in a glass house, my dear."

"I love women!" Alexander was offended.

Angelica smiled in an effort to placate him. "I know that you do. But why argue over this? There are better things to talk about. Like the fact that I almost got a job within the first half an hour of our party-crashing."

"I know." Alexander did not seem placated. "This was supposed to be an adventure, not an interview."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Angelica smirked. "Were you expecting me to hang from the chandelier?"

"I would have liked to see you hanging from a chandelier," Alexander answered flirtatiously.

"Well," Angelica looked up at the chandelier and sighed. "I think that's just a little bit out of reach. But I will down this martini, have another, and see where the night brings me. Is that good enough?"

"Annie, that's plenty."

The night wound up being one for the books. Angelica put on a terrible English accent after drinking two martinis. She tried for the posh London accent. It was clear from the faces of all who heard her that she was doing terribly. Alexander, meanwhile, was convincing everyone that he was a dot-com billionaire from America. With Jefferson's lavish clothes and Alexander's fierce intelligence, this was not such a stretch. Several women were overheard talking about ways to lay their hands on him, and by default, his fortune.

The end of the night found Angelica and Alexander sitting side-by-side, their feet in a fountain and a bottle of champagne that they had stolen from the country club's open bar resting between them.

"I love you, Annie." Alexander sighed, his voice slurred but his eyes bright.

"I love you, Alex." Angelica agreed, resting her head on Alexander's drooping shoulder. She was jostled as he moved his arm to grab the bottle and take another long sip of champagne.

"Let's make a promise," He suggested, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of Jefferson's expensive coat before looking down at Angelica. He looked like he had concocted some brilliant scheme that he was excessively proud of. "Let's come back here every year. And on the fourth year…"

Alexander was interrupted by the soft sound of Angelica snoring. She had fallen asleep during his impassioned suggestion. Drinking always made her sleepy. He smiled and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to the warmth of his body.

"And on the fourth year, I'll ask you to marry me."

* * *

Three years later, Angelica found herself sporting Mrs. Jefferson's earrings to the country club yet again.

As Alexander had suggested during their very first summer together, they had made a tradition out of breaking into the Jeffersons' summer house and attending one of the country club's lavish events in Thomas' name. It got progressively more difficult as the years went on. Thomas had realized after their first break-in that Angelica had brought Alexander into the home and had made quite a mess for him to clean up before his parents visited; namely, he had to replace all of the wine, dry clean a number of his outfits, and clean several dirty dishes that had been left in the sink. He tried hiding the key in different places, having different security precautions taken - he even installed security cameras. It didn't matter. With their brains put together, Angelica and Alexander outwitted him every time. The fourth year of their break-in was no different.

"I can't believe he thought that a key code instead of a key would slow us down." Alexander chuckled, pouring Angelica a glass of wine as they settled into their annual spot with their feet in the fountain. "And he didn't even suspect that we would figure out that he'd use Madison's birthday as the code."

"Well, we did have to look up what his birthday was." Angelica reminded Alexander, taking the glass of wine gratefully. After spending each summer drinking wine in France with Alexander, she had come to appreciate the taste of it.

"Thank God for Facebook." Alexander grinned, taking a long sip of wine. "And thank God for France. _Dieu merci pour la_ France!"

Angelica raised her glass to Alexander's excited shout before downing the remaining wine. While she drank, Alexander looked at her thoughtfully.

"I love you, Annie." He said.

"I love you too, Alex." Angelica murmured, scrubbing her wine-stained teeth before smiling at Alexander blearily. She had lost track of the number of drinks she'd consumed at the country club.

"Annie, I…"

Before Alexander could finish whatever it was that he was going to say, Angelica leaned over him and threw up on the shiny shoes on his feet - most likely Jefferson's. Alexander let out an exasperated sigh and patted Angelica's back.

"I'll call a cab."

It was oddly reminiscent of their first cab ride together, in Philadelphia. Angelica was hanging out the window to avoid the stench of vomit lingering on Alexander's shoes. Alexander was shaking his head and looking mildly disappointed about something or the other. When the cab driver arrived at the Jeffersons' mansion, Angelica jumped from the cab and vomited behind the bushes in the front yard. Alexander remained behind to pay the cabbie - most likely twice what the fare would have usually cost.

From there, Alexander helped Angelica shower - solely for the purpose of getting the vomit out of her hair - and then put her to bed. In the state that she was in, Angelica could not bring herself to protest this kind of caretaking. She fell asleep the second that her head hit the pillow.

The next morning, Angelica felt like she was dying a slow and painful death. She cracked her eyes open but shut them immediately. The windows were open and the sun was so bright. She felt the space next to her for Alexander. Alexander would draw the shades for her.

But Alexander was not there. Angelica dared to crack her eyes open again to look for him. He wasn't in the room at all. Why wasn't he in the room? She was quite possibly dying. Surely Alexander should be worried about her; taking care of her.

Aspirin. She needed an aspirin. Alexander always kept aspirin in his jacket pocket on the nights when they snuck into the country club. Usually, he was the one that drank too much, but Angelica had had a difficult time at work the week before, and, well, she was celebrating their last evening at the French country club.

Not bothering to look dignified in her current state, Angelica rolled out of bed and crawled across the floor to Alexander's jacket. It was draped across the chair in the corner of the room. Angelica crawled across the floor to the jacket and dug into the first pocket she could access.

She didn't feel the bottle-like shape of an aspirin container. It felt more like a box. Perhaps Alexander stole a fancier container of aspirin? Angelica's eyebrows furrowed as she dug the box out of Alexander's jacket pocket.

It was small and black.

Angelica rocked back on her heels, allowing herself to plop down as she examined the box for an opening. This was most certainly not an aspirin container, but why would Alexander have a little black box? Never one to resist a mystery, Angelica opened the box.

It was a ring. An engagement ring.

"Annie." That was the moment that Alexander chose to return to the room. He was carrying a tray containing eggs, bacon, bagels, and muffins. He had made her breakfast. Judging from the frightened expression he adopted when he noticed the ring in her hand, he had not planned on proposing after that breakfast.

"You were going to ask me last night, weren't you?" Angelica wondered, looking up at Alexander.

He let out a small chuckle and set the tray of breakfast down on Jefferson's test. He then stuck his hands in his pockets and looked down at his shoes. He was smiling bashfully. "Yeah, I was."

"And I ruined it." Angelica wasn't apologetic; she was smiling. It was funny to her. It only seemed right that she would make something so romantic such a disaster. It seemed like all of her and Alexander's romantic moments started and began with disasters.

"You altered it." Alexander amended with a fond smile.

"Ask me now." Angelica hopped up onto the edge of the bed, looking at Alexander expectantly.

"What?" Alexander looked surprised.

"Ask me now." Angelica insisted. "I won't throw up this time. I promise."

"Annie, I don't -"

"Ask me." Angelica smiled encouragingly. "Please?"

Alexander shook his head, obviously embarrassed. "Annie, will you marry me?"

"Be serious." Angelica huffed. "Really ask me."

Alexander frowned and took the ring out of Angelica's hand. He knelt in front of her, a small, sheepish smile on his lips. "Angelica Schuyler, will you marry me?"

Angelica smirked. "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

 **Happy Friday!**

 **I know it's taken forever for a new chapter to be posted, but you see how long this thing is, right? It's really no wonder! Anyway, I've got the next chapter finished, so hopefully you can expect a new chapter next Friday, as well. Who knows? Maybe I'll even be consistent for a little while!**

 **But enough of these hesitant promises. Enjoy the chapter and until next time!**


	10. Chapter 10

_Alexander,_

 _Thank you again for the stationery set. It's beautiful. Do you know that I've never written an honest-to-god letter in my life? I feel like an antebellum Southern belle writing to Rhett Butler. Have you ever read Gone With the Wind? I bet you haven't. You should, though. Eliza loves the movie. I'm sure you already know that._

 _What am I supposed to write in a letter, anyway? Anita is still crazy. Church is still clingy. Taz still chews up anything that I leave in the living room past midnight. I miss you and Eliza constantly._

 _From,_

 _Angelica_

 **Ever lovely Angelica,**

 **Don't you know that you're supposed to address a letter by describing your relationship to somebody? Instead of plain old Alexander, you could say "my dear Alexander," or "my plain old Alexander," if that's really how you feel. For an antebellum Southern belle, you're shockingly devoid of sentiment.**

 **I have read Gone With the Wind. You might be surprised to read that I enjoyed it. I'll bet you did, too. You remind me of Scarlett O'Hara in a lot of ways. Not so much in the childish, coquettish way (though I'm sure Jefferson & co. would disagree), but very much in the stubborn and resilient way. You wouldn't let the Yankees take Tara, either. Who would I be? Don't **say **Rhett Butler, because I know you won't mean it.**

 **I'm watching your interview with that ancient member of Parliament while I write this. You're wearing that dress that you wore the night that we went to that terrible waffle restaurant that Peggy was dying to try. Do you remember Betsey burning her hair that night? She's still mortified. She swears every single week that she's going to mail you your hat back. I think that you ought to buy a new one.**

 **Have you heard back from any of the places you've applied to in the States? I would love it if you came back to New York. Or even Washington DC. It's only a couple of hours away. George makes the trip all of the time. Hey! If you got the job, you could interview him. Maybe you could even interview his dashing assistant from time to time. More importantly, you could have dinner with Betsey and me from time to time. She's half-frantic with the thought of seeing you every week.**

 **Meanwhile, I'm half-frantic as we prepare to address the drought. Did you know that we're experiencing a drought? Well, we are, and George has placed me in charge of writing his speech for his town hall meeting. I know it doesn't matter in the grand scheme; it only matters what the president says, but suppose the president heard my speech and decided to hire me? Or even just the Governor? But no, on second thought, maybe not the governor. I don't like Clinton very much. More importantly, he doesn't like ME very much.**

 **Have you heard that Jefferson is being considered for the ambassador to France? Ambassador! He would be one of the youngest ambassadors in history! I'm sure he's already bragged to you. He hardly needs the ego boost. Between you and me, I hope that he gets passed over for the promotion. John Laurens is also being considered. He's well-versed in French and has all the right connections. Lafayette is trying his best to remain neutral, but hopefully, when the French Prime Minister asks, he will promote Laurens.**

 **But Eliza is calling me for dinner. She's made something or the other from that cookbook you gave her. Duck. I'm not one for duck, but I'm sure she will change my mind.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Alexander**

 **PS. "from"? You wound me, Annie.**

 _To the best speech writer across the sea,_

 _I had Eliza send me a copy of your draught speech. As they say "across the pond," well done, you! I'm sure the grubby people of New York have all the faith in the world in George, as I do. I know that there could be no better man for the job, save his extremely talented_ _speech writer. What other things do you do for George? I know you. You couldn't possibly be satisfied with only writing town hall speeches. I've read a few of his most recent bill propositions, and if I'm not mistaken, the tone sounded remarkably like your own._

 _Stop worrying about Thomas. He doesn't think that he'll be appointed to France, and neither do I. Laurens has the better connections and has actually graduated. Thomas still has term papers and final exams to worry about. Speaking of, how are your classes? You're just about finished, aren't you? I'm sorry that I can't come home for your graduation. Please send me pictures of you in your cap and gown, and tell me if Martha cries. I'll bet Martha cries. Are you going to be the valedictorian? Without me there, you might actually stand a chance. If you are, you must also send me your speech. You've seen the mediocrity I've surrounded myself with at work. Yours and Thomas' are the only intelligent words I get anymore._

 _Why don't you think that you would be Rhett Butler? I can't think of a single better character for you!_ _You're just like Rhett, really. Charismatic and just the right amount of scandalous. Just stay out of Charleston if you can._

 _I've received a job offer from my current station, and - don't hate me - I think I'm going to take it. It means staying in Oxford for another few years, but the pay is good and it'll be so much easier to get a job when I actually have something on my resume._

 _Not to mention, I now have a wedding to afford. Do you know how expensive weddings are? And how much time it takes to plan one? Church thinks that he's doing me a favor by staying out of it, telling me to plan exactly what he wants, but I think he's just being lazy. He doesn't want to sift through 300 different styles of_ invitations, _or spend an entire Saturday looking for the perfect flower arrangement. To be truthful, I don't blame him. If the traditional convention would get me off of the hook for all of this, I would gladly embrace it, too. When you get married, I insist that you help plan the entire thing. Don't be the lazy man. She'll resent you for it._

 _Anyway, I should go. The wedding planner (who is named Jane and has been sent to this Earth for the sole purpose of torturing me)is calling for the 14th time today. No, that is not a hyperbole. She calls me an average of 25 times a day. I may strangle her before what she calls "The Big Day." Until then, I must answer the phone and pretend to be interested in the kind of chairs that will be at my reception._

 _Your favorite sister (sort-of),_

 _Angelica_

 **Ever suffering Angelica,**

 **I'm sorry to hear about your wedding planner, but I would be lying if I said that the vision of a tiny wedding planner swarming around you like a nat didn't make me laugh. But to justify your pain and suffering, I have told Eliza that we have to take special notice of the chairs at the reception and the flower arrangements. I expect them to be beyond comparison.**

 **Did you hear that Laurens got the appointment? I'm thrilled for him. We're going to celebrate in just a moment. Jefferson and Madison are pointedly NOT invited. Well, Madison can come. But we'll make him drink gin and tonics. Do you know that I think about that night in Philadelphia at least once a day?**

 **I knew that you would call me Rhett Butler. Such accusations wound me, for if I ever got my Scarlett O'Hara, I would never walk away. Never. Not even if she continued to carry on lusting after Ashley Wilkes, who I hate, by the way. Not just on the principle that I'm apparently Rhett Butler, but because Ashley Wilkes was possibly the worst male character but was given credit for being one of the most likable. He toyed with both his wife and dear Scarlett, only to leave them both sorely aching. And a son, too! A fine mess for a fine coward. He could have been happy with either his wife or Scarlett, but he had to have both at the expense to both women.**

 **As for your contract in Oxford, I'm happy that you've been given the opportunity and will, of course, attend the wedding ceremony in Oxford just as willingly as I would attend one in Albany. Eliza and I do miss you terribly, though. I miss you especially. I've yet to find anyone whose company is equitable to yours.**

 **I will be graduating in 20 days. Count it - 20 days. Can you believe it? Next up is law school. I've been accepted to both Georgetown and Columbia, but I think I will be going to Georgetown. George spends most of his time in D.C. anyway, so I can stay at his D.C. residence. Martha won't be happy about losing our weekly dinners, but she'll be glad to have me there to keep an eye on George. What she thinks he's going to do in her absence, I'm not sure, but I'm happy to provide her with peace of mind.**

 **Off to celebrate our newest ambassador to France!**

 **Yours,**

 **Alexander**

 _Dearest Alexander,_

 _I am so sorry to hear about John Laurens. He was a wonderful man and an incomparable friend. I'm sure that you are lost without him._

 _His death was not your fault. No one could have anticipated that a common bar fight would result in homicide. I know you, and I know your tendency to take responsibility for everything you lay witness to, even things that are out of the control of mortal beings like you and I. John would not want that. He would want you to go on to Georgetown and pass with flying colors. He would want you to pursue a career in politics, in which you fight for the regulation of firearms, as you've been talking about doing since senior year of high school._

 _You and John are both in my thoughts and prayers._

 _Love,_

 _Angelica_

 _Dearest Alexander,_

 _Eliza has just informed me that you are no longer planning to attend your graduation ceremony - despite being the class valedictorian \- because of John Laurens._

 _You must stop tearing yourself apart over John Laurens. It wasn't your fault, Alexander. John instigated the fight. He didn't know that the guy had a gun, and neither did you. Nobody could have foreseen the man pulling out a gun in the middle of an Albany pub and shooting anyone._

 _Forgive yourself. John would have._

 _Love,_

 _Angelica_

 _Alexander,_

 _I'm worried. Please write me back._

 _Love,_

 _Angelica_

 **My dearest Angelica,**

 **I apologize for the lack of contact for so long. As you can imagine, I needed time to process what happened. Though I'm sure Betsey told you what she knows about the situation, I could not bring myself to burden her with all of the details. I hope that you won't read too much into me sharing such details with you. You can handle it. You have grit. I admire that about you.**

 **Here's what happened.**

 **John chose the pub. It was a little hole in the wall that his father had taken him to for his first beer. He thought it was only right that he go there just before his first big job. At first, it was great. We were eating, drinking, and making a list of all of the sights he would have to see in France when someone started mouthing off in the pub. They were talking about politics. Complaining about George, and complaining about Henry. John made a snide comment in response, and from there, a fight broke out. I should have told him to calm down. I didn't. I made it so much worse. The guy got close - real close - to John, and I acted without thinking. I punched him in the face and started the whole fight. If it hadn't been for me, he would still be here today.**

 **I know that you're not going to accept that, but it's the truth. I would appreciate it if you didn't argue with me on that point.**

 **In exchange for your cooperation, I'll tell you something that I haven't told anyone else yet. In my speech at graduation, I'm going to ask Eliza to marry me.**

 **I wanted to tell you first** **because I know that I promised you a similar proposal so many years ago. I didn't want you to think that I wasn't creative; that I was being lazy in my plan to propose to Betsey. It's just…it seems to be the only proposal fitting of a Schuyler sister, you know? The whole lot of you are larger than life. I didn't want you to think that I was trying to upstage you and Church, either. We will, of course, wait until your wedding before we get married. And before you even ask - yes. I will absolutely help Eliza with the wedding planning. Even if it takes all day to decide on chairs.**

 **I miss you terribly, especially these days.**

 **Yours,**

 **Alexander**

 _My dearest Alexander,_

 _Congratulations! I just got off the phone with Eliza. By the time you receive this, you'll have been engaged for a little longer than an hour, but as I'm writing this, it's still fresh and new._

 _You shouldn't have worried about justifying the engagement or the way it was done to me. First of all, proposing during a valedictorian speech is a great idea. You shouldn't let it go to waste. I'm sure Eliza loved it. Second, I would never accuse Eliza of trying to upstage anyone. Now you, on the other hand…_

 _I'm kidding, of course. I'm so happy for the both of you._

 _I won't argue with you over John (only because you already know perfectly well what I would say), but I will assure you that you don't need to explain why you gave me details that you did not give Eliza. Your secret is safe with me. As are any other things you want to confide in me._

 _How are you feeling? And remember, you can be honest with me. I will never judge you._

 _Love,_

 _Angelica_

 **My dearest Angelica,**

 **I just got your wedding invitation. My RSVP (along with Betsey's) is enclosed in this envelope. As I'm sure you already know, we'd be happy to go. And Betsey would be hard-pressed to avoid it, seeing as she's your maid of honor. Should I be offended that I'm not Church's best man? Who is Church's best man? Anyone I know? Please tell me that it isn't Jefferson. If it's Jefferson, I rescind my RSVP. Kind of.**

 **Betsey has asked me to request that you send over your wedding binder at your convenience. I have no idea what a wedding binder is, but I assure you that I will do my best to learn once you send it over. Betsey's already got me set up with a Pinterest account. We have a shared "Wedding Board." She keeps "pinning" things involving mason jars. Does your wedding revolve around mason jars? I don't understand it.**

 **After Betsey and I's wedding, we have to start George's next campaign for Congress. Did you know that Thomas is considering running for Governor of Virginia? Governor! He's fresh out of undergrad and he thinks that he's suitable for Governor! And his father is going along with it. His father is actually stepping down as Governor so that Thomas can run. All because the man didn't get the ambassador to France!**

 **Do you think that I'm wasting my time, not running for anything? George has spoken to me about the possibility a couple of times, but I don't enjoy politics the way that both George and Jefferson seem to. I just want to do my work. Can't I just accomplish the things I want to do while others play the game of politics?**

 **Yours,**

 **Alexander**

 _My dearest Alexander,_

 _I would send Eliza my wedding binder, but it's still being used at the moment. Can she wait just a little bit longer? I haven't gotten a save-the-date, so I'm assuming that it's not a pressing matter. And because I am not supplying a wedding binder just yet, I feel obligated to explain one to you. It's a binder that contains all of the information one needs for their wedding. A budget, floral arrangements, caterer options - you name it, the binder has it. Except for maybe a guest list. Eliza and I run in very different social circles._

 _As for the mason jars…well…that's just Eliza. And Pinterest. Maybe try to get her off of Pinterest when you have a moment. And DO NOT let her hire a band with a banjo player for the reception._

 _Church's best man is one of his cousins. Tom will be invited to the wedding, though. After he and I have a very long talk about the "forever hold your peace" moment, that is. It would be just like him to ruin my wedding without having any sort of plan about what he would do the moment it was over. I know that he wouldn't want a serious relationship. He would just want to be a drama queen. I think he's bringing a date to the wedding, actually. Some girl that he's been seeing on-and-off in college. Aaron Burr will also be in attendance, as well as James Madison and anyone else from our graduating class who has the money to fly to London._

 _Tom has told me all about his campaign for Governor. Did you know that Madison is in Congress? I'm sure that you do. It sounds like he and George work together closely a lot. That must be driving you crazy. Anyway, from the sound of it, Tom has a pretty good chance of getting Governor. He is a legacy, after all. And who else could possibly replace his father? But that shouldn't bother you. At least you don't live in Virginia._

 _And you should definitely not feel obligated to run for anything. Some people don't have the temperament for politics. That's fine. You can let George have his campaigns and you can write the speeches and advise him on what should be done. You can change the world without playing politics. If anyone can change the world, in fact, it is most certainly you, Alexander Hamilton._

 _Love, Angelica_

 **My dearest Angelica,**

 **Today, George approached Betsey and me with an idea. He wants to run for president, Annie. PRESIDENT. Of the entire country! Obviously, he'll have to run out his newest term as a Congressman. After that, he wants to get to be Speaker of the House. From there, it's down the campaign trail. The only downside is that he's considering John Adams as his Vice President. Better than Thomas Jefferson, I suppose, but only barely.**

 **I'm missing you especially much today. George is making me go to some networking event with him. If you were here, you could go with me and make fun of all of the stuck up, snooty people. I could actually eat something here instead of having George parade me around the party like a show dog. I don't have fun with anyone the way that I have fun with you. The stares I always got when I showed up somewhere with you were an added bonus.**

 **Missing you more and more each day is**

 **Yours,**

 **Alexander**

 _My dearest Alexander,_

 _President! Wow! That's a really big leap. Although I suppose if it's contingent on George becoming the speaker of the house, he still has time to strategize. Do you know how he's going to get to be speaker? Who's the current speaker? I've fallen behind on American politics. You'll have to forgive me. I've spent the past four years trying to learn this wonky Parliamentary system._

 _At any rate, would you be working with George when he became president? You already get enough coverage as a Congressman's aide. Granted, it isn't front-page tabloid kind of news, but it's in all of the minor gossip rags in the tristate area. I google your name every day once in a while. I like to make sure you're staying scandal-free. If George gets to be president, though, you're going to be subjected to so much more scrutiny. That means you better be treating my sister right. Well, that should go without saying. If you don't, I'll cross the ocean just to kick your butt clear across it._

 _I miss you at parties too. Every time I have to suffer through a news station get-together, I wish that I had someone there to judge everyone else with. You and I were always great at judging others. Perhaps we overlooked a career in the judicial branch? Well, I suppose you're in law school, so you have that part covered. Me…maybe I should consider law school, too. Although, quite frankly, I'm newly out of school and already enjoying it so much. Homework-free evenings are the greatest._

 _Church and I just received your "Save the Dates" for the wedding. Am I to assume that the rehearsal dinner will take place the night before? Either way, I'm planning on arriving a week before the wedding, just to avoid any possible issues. Church won't be able to make it until two days before the wedding, but that's hardly a problem. We'll find some kind of way to pass the time. You know, ever since you mentioned Madison and gin and tonics, I've thought about that night in Philadelphia when we all let Aaron Burr lead us to that terrible bar. Do you remember that? Probably not. I remember bits and pieces, but that's it. We should go out for Tex-Mex while I'm in the States, though. Relive the glory days. Maybe we could even get the gang back together! What do you think?_

 _Love,_

 _Angelica_

 **My dearest Angelica,**

 **Though I only ever intend to treat Betsey as well as she deserves, the temptation of you returning to the States early is nearly overwhelming, even if it is only to beat me up (which no one doubts you can do). Would an argument about Mason Jars qualify as treating her badly? If so, I would be happy to buy you a flight to New York right this moment. I'll even pick you up from the airport. Just give me a moment to look at you before you attack me, would you? I feel like it's been years since I've last seen you. I watch your newscast every day during my lunch break (a generous half an hour, courtesy of George), but it isn't the same. Your smile isn't real. It's fake. It looks like Anita is holding you hostage in front of a camera. I want to see that real, genuine Annie Schuyler smile.**

 **I would love it if you would consider law school, though, by the time you arrived, I would be on my way out. If not to join me in my studies, I'd recommend that you save your time, money, and sanity. You would hate law school. People can be so infuriatingly competitive, but only the people without any real brains. The people with brains keep to themselves because they're terrified that the competitive ones will find out about them. The professors are all full of themselves and the workload is damn near unbearable. You're far better off being held hostage by Anita. And I envy your homework-free evenings. Though even when I graduate, I don't think that I'll be quite so blessed. George seems to be a fan of sending important documents over at ungodly hours of the night. Betsey has started to demand that I turn off my phone before bed. I can't just silence it - I actually have to turn it OFF. God forbid someone try to rob us in the middle of the night. The police will never be called.**

 **How very unfair that you feel obligated to ask me if I remember the night that Aaron drug us to that hellhole in the middle of Philadelphia. Of course, I remember that night, Annie. How could I not remember that night? I don't think I've ever felt so much in the span of 6 hours in my entire life. Even if I could forget all of that - and even if I could wash Aaron Burr's blood out of my favorite sweater (yes, it's still there. All of the best dry cleaners in the area have tried in vain to get it out) - I could never forget the way you looked in that little dress that night. You were beautiful, Annie. You still are. What a happy God we must have if he thought it right to grace the world with three beautiful Schuyler sisters. All of this was an extremely long and entirely unnecessary way of saying yes, I would love to take you out to a Tex-Mex remnant of our glory days. If Aaron Burr, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson are necessary evils I must deal with in order to have such a night with you, then I will gladly bite that (or those?) bullet(s?). I suppose it could be practice for the wedding.**

 **Yours,**

 **Alexander**

 _My dearest Alexander,_

 _My wedding is in 10 days and I am so completely overwhelmed. I doubt you'll receive this letter before the wedding - you and Eliza's flight leaves in two days - but I just needed to vent. Church would take any complaints personally - you know how he gets - and Eliza just can't understand not being excited about every single aspect of a wedding. Because you are the only person who would understand without telling me that I better call off the wedding, here are the reasons that I am FREAKING OUT:_

 _1\. Church squeezes the top half of the toothpaste first, instead of working his way up from the bottom._

 _[2. Church is not you.]_

 _3\. The first thing that Church does when he gets home is hang up his coat. He only kisses me and pets Taz second._

 _[4. Church has never once smiled at me the way that you smile at me.]_

 _5\. I still don't know what escrow is. Don't you think I ought to know what escrow is before I get married? It seems like I should know a lot more about life before I get married._

 _[6. I can't imagine not having the option of leaving him for you for the rest of my life.]_

 _7\. Thomas says that he'll object._

 _[8. Thomas says that he'll object and I would rather you object than him.]_

 _9\. I'm still not comfortable with an entire day being focused on me. I like attention, but I prefer the attention of a singular person instead of upwards of 400 people._

 _[10. I would prefer your attention and yours alone.]_

 _[I don't want to marry Church. I want to marry you.]_

 _Anyway, Mama says that everyone gets cold feet. I think that's all. Don't worry about me. Just focus on getting here and playing nice with Thomas and Madison._

 _Love,_

 _Angelica_

 **Annie,**

 **You're going to be great.**

 **Yours,**

 **Alexander**

* * *

 **Rewind**

 **My dearest, Angelica**

 **Now that you're my fiancé, I feel that I should join Jefferson and the other heartbroken men of Oxford in writing you fan mail. Whether you choose to respond is entirely up to you, though I do know your phone number and address; I might insist on some form of communication. You could say that I'm quite a devoted fan.**

 **It feels like just yesterday that we were sitting in Jefferson's eerily well-kept garden. You, wearing that gorgeous silk robe of yours. Me, wearing Jefferson's gaudy leopard-print sports jacket…and, of course, a bottle of chardonnay between us. Do you think we'll be that happy again when we're married? I hope so.**

 **Speaking of weddings, it's high time that we began to plan our own. Martha has sent me what she calls a "wedding binder". It appears to be a binder full of ridiculous choices, like chairs and flower arrangements. I'll choose the flower arrangements if you'll choose the chairs. You have more experiences with asses than I (given your close friendship with Thomas Jefferson). Have you chosen your bridesmaids? I've chosen my groomsmen. John Laurens will, of course, be my best man. Given your friendship (and apparently still well-kept correspondence?), I can't imagine that you would object to that selection. My other groomsmen will include Lafayette, Hercules Mulligan, my friend Edward Stevens, Jacky (yes, George made me include his terrible step-son), and Aaron Burr. Don't ask about Burr. He's been having a really hard time lately, and, well, he's changed a lot since high school. He's actually sort of okay now. So long as he isn't in charge of choosing a bar. Could you send your list of bridesmaids? I want to make sure I can pair them appropriately. According to Martha, this is important. She dislikes the idea of John and Eliza walking together, but as Eliza is almost certainly your maid of honor, I don't see a way around it. I'll tell John to bring a date. I think he's got a steady girlfriend.**

 **Pinterest also appears to be an excellent place for wedding planning. I don't know about all of the DIY projects - neither of us has much time or patience for such crafts - but the various ways to have a guest list and seating arrangements is fantastic. I'm thinking - no seating arrangements during the ceremony, and name and numbered wine glasses to tell people where to report during the reception. I already know what you're going to say - "Alex, what about the children?" I've already got that covered. The older ones get wine glasses too; they'll feel elegant drinking sparkling cider from their adult glasses. If they're too young for glasses, sippy cups with their names and tables on them. Obviously, I will wait for your OK on this before placing the order, but the cups ARE in my Etsy shopping cart.**

 **As for bachelor/bachelorette parties…what are we thinking? John wants to take me to the most appalling places in the city, and, well, it sounds like Aaron is gunning to go as well. Hercules suggested a more toned-down occasion, and if I have to invite Jacky, I'd prefer it be toned down. You know he's incapable of filtering himself around Martha, and I would hate for her to think less of me. You are obviously free to do as you please, but I would like any information you're willing to contribute!**

 **My warmest love and affection,**

 **Alexander**

 _My Alexander,_

 _I was worried that I might have to hire a wedding planner, but now I see that I have nothing to worry about at all. When did you find the time to think all of that through? And then write about it? You do realize that your letter arrived five days after your flight landed in the States, don't you? You would have had to do all of that research and write the letter in, like, an hour, on your first day back. And then go all the way to the post office…_

 _I hope that you're not being a work-driven recluse again. I don't want to have to send John to your dorm room to check that you're still alive. I think he might be getting tired of running errands in America for me. I also asked him to deliver Eliza's maid of honor gift to her yesterday. He didn't seem over the moon about it, but Eliza likes him, and he's got nothing else to do until he ships off for his appointment in France. Oh, don't think that I haven't heard about his appointment in France. Thomas is livid. Personally, I didn't care which one of them got the appointment; either way, I'll have someone new to play with by the end of the year._

 _Speaking of John, he's horrified that you've chosen Aaron Burr as one of your groomsmen. I can't reconcile with the fact, either. And Jacky, too! You don't like either of them. Jacky, I kind of understand. George and Martha raised you, so you'll include Martha's terrible son in the wedding. But Aaron Burr? Don't you remember him tripping over everything in high school? Or the fact that he made it his mission in life to outperform you in every single class? Do you not remember his nosebleed in the back of that cab the night in Philadelphia? When did you two become friends? Please share all of the romantic details._

 _As for bachelorette/bachelor parties - do not let John Laurens choose your venue. You'll wind up chain smoking outside of some tragic strip club on the wrong side of the Brooklyn Bridge. Ask my brother, John, for potential venues. He'll be a bit skittish at first, but he'll tell you the best place to have fun once he realizes that it's not a trap. You might have to invite him along, but that's just as well. He'll pay for all of your drinks if he's drunk enough. I, meanwhile, fully intend to have a bachelorette party. Eliza and Peggy have already bought tickets to Oxford (Peggy is 18 and can actually drink here!) and I've been researching where to see the best strip shows. Don't hold back for my sake._

 _Would you ask Hercules if he could tailor my wedding dress, by the way? John told me that he's working in fashion these days, and getting a dress tailored is so absurdly expensive. The debt of that alone would force me to stay here for another 5 years just to make the money back._

 _Love,_

 _Angelica_

 **My Dearest,**

 **Your brother has provided valuable insight into the bachelor party. I have invited him. I expect that he'll be showing up at my door at any second. He's just like his sisters - exceptionally punctual.**

 **John will, of course, be late. Jacky will most likely also be late. I don't mind being spared Jacky's presence very much. I still don't understand George's attachment to him. He's only Martha's son, after all. George isn't even related to him! He therefore has the objectivity to see that Jacky is a terrible human being who should be afforded no luxuries in life. But George…oh, George can't accept that. He gave Jacky a position on his campaign! His campaign! Meanwhile, Martha has informed me that I should remain quiet throughout law school, so that George may hire me without being accused of nepotism later in his career. If he should be relying on either of his not-related sons, surely it should be me. I'm the brighter one, the more socially competent one, and, well, I think that George likes me better anyway.**

 **But I didn't mean for this letter to be a negative one! I'm looking forward to the party, but I'm looking forward to marrying you more. I would take drinking Chardonnay in pajamas with you over going to some gaudy strip club with the ruffians that I call my friends. What do you say we elope? I'll catch the next flight to Oxford. Write me with your answer quickly, so I might be able to take off before Martha catches wind of the plot.**

 **And, yes, Herc has promised to tailor your dress, free of charge.**

 **All my love,**

 **Alexander**

 _My Alexander,_

 _I am so sorry about John. By the time you get this, I'll be on a flight home. Please open your door when I knock. We don't have to talk if you don't want to, I just don't want you to do this alone._

 _Love,_

 _Angelica_

 **My dearest Annie,**

 **As I'm writing this, you're in the shower. You're going back to England today. I don't want you to go. I know that I can't ask you to stay - not yet - but I'm now going to ask you to think about it. Think about our future together. I have a few questions that I need answered before our wedding.**

 **1) Do you have any interest in moving back to the States? My future lies in politics - where I can actually make a change - so I need to know if I should be preparing for a long-distance marriage.**

 **2) Do you want children?**

 **3) Are you a dog person, or a cat person? This is extremely important.**

 **4) When we're married, are we using one single joint bank account, or two personal bank accounts for personal expenses, and a joint account for joint expenses?**

 **5) Are you prepared for the scrutiny that will come along with the high office I hope to maintain?**

 **6) Could you give up Jefferson?**

 **I will love you, no matter what your answers are.**

 **Your**

 **Alexander**

 _My Alexander,_

 _I've just got on my flight and found your letter in my bag. I should have known that you would want to have this sort of discussion over writing. You always convey yourself best with a pen and a paper._

 _1) New York is where I belong. I'm not passionate about children one way or another. If they're important to you, we can have one or two. If you're vehemently opposed to children, I'm sure that I could be just as good a "cool aunt" to Eliza's children (which she will most definitely have) as I would be a mother. I will say this: if you want children, it will be your career that suffers for it. I will not be putting my career on hold to accommodate you and your wants, especially if you're not willing to do the same. I am offended that you feel the need to ask. I have attached a five-year budget and bank account plan to this letter. What kind of secrets are you accusing me of, Mr. Hamilton? I could do without anyone but you._

 _2) I'm not passionate about children one way or another. If they're important to you, we can have one or two. If you're vehemently opposed to children, I'm sure that I could be just as good a "cool aunt" to Eliza's children (which she will most definitely have) as I would be a mother. I will say this: if you want children, it will be your career that suffers for it. I will not be putting my career on hold to accommodate you and your wants, especially if you're not willing to do the same. I am offended that you feel the need to ask. I have attached a five-year budget and bank account plan to this letter. What kind of secrets are you accusing me of, Mr. Hamilton? I could do without anyone but you._

 _3) I am offended that you feel the need to ask. I have attached a five-year budget and bank account plan to this letter. What kind of secrets are you accusing me of, Mr. Hamilton? I could do without anyone but you._

 _4) I have attached a five-year budget and bank account plan to this letter. What kind of secrets are you accusing me of, Mr. Hamilton? I could do without anyone but you._

 _5) What kind of secrets are you accusing me of, Mr. Hamilton? I could do without anyone but you._

 _6) I could do without anyone but you._

 _Love,_

 _Angelica_

 **My Dearest, Annie,**

 **You have been back in Oxford for a little while now, and I am loathed to accept that we must suffer this situation for much longer. Still, as your biggest fan, I have sworn to keep you updated on the goings-on in New York.**

 **First, I am about to graduate. This means little to me, as I'll be going right back into school anyway. I've been accepted by both Georgetown and Columbia. I would like to go to Georgetown - near D.C., where all of the politics will be happening - but Martha thinks that I should stay in New York. What do you think? No one's opinion matters more than yours. That said, if I go to Georgetown, it is likely that George and Martha will ask me to live with them. At present, it appears that the Washington household is about to expand, making it much less comfortable than it has been in the past.**

 **That brings me to my next point: Jacky is engaged. Can you believe it? I would be angry that his engagement is tarnishing my own, but really, it's comedy the likes of which O'Henry would envy. Here's what happened: George sent Jacky to yet another outrageously expensive party school in the hopes that he would get his act together and finally get his degree (like a degree in social networking would do him an ounce of good). Jacky came home for Spring Break with a letter from the Dean (kicking him out for low academic standing, of course) and a fiancé. Her name is Nelly and she is a senior in high school.**

 **George went ballistic. He started screaming at Jacky, right in front of this girl! She is a girl, by the way. Horribly naïve, looks about fourteen, and believes that Jacky is a real catch. She belongs with someone like John Adams' eldest son, not Jacky Custis! Martha has not stopped crying since he brought her home. She is staying in my bedroom, while I live my Spring Break in my shoddy university apartment. George has forbidden Jacky from so much as speaking to this girl while they are under his roof. He says that he's going to drive her back to Virginia and speak to her father - personally. I don't envy Nelly, having to endure that car ride from Albany to Virginia with a boiling George. I don't know if you've ever seen him lose his temper, but it is something to behold.**

 **I don't know what will become of little Nelly, but I'm sure it will be fascinating. Undoubtedly more exciting than my own engagement; though, that could have to do with the fact that we are both consenting adults with some common sense.**

 **Oh! I nearly forgot. Eliza actually met Nelly. She told me about it while Herc was tailoring our monkey suits for the wedding. She thought Nelly was a "sweet girl," but definitely too young for Jacky. Eliza says hi, by the way. I'm sure that she has already spoken to you twice today alone, but she asked me to include the message in my most recent letter to you, and I will be damned if I disappoint the hopes of a Schuyler sister.**

 **In other Schuyler news, little Peggy has a boyfriend. I'm sure that she hasn't told you that. He's in college - a little too old, if you want my honest opinion - but if Peggy had to date someone older, she couldn't have chosen a better man. He's smart as a whip (don't get your hopes up, though, for he could never reach your heights of intellect), cuts a striking figure, and has good manners about him. Although Peggy has reminded me several times that my opinion does not matter, I approve wholeheartedly.**

 **It seems that I've run out of gossip for now. I will keep you updated on the tragic tale of Jacky Custis and his under-aged Nelly. Assuming that George does not kill the both of them.**

 **Your**

 **Alexander**

 _My Alexander,_

 _Please send out the wedding invitations when you get a moment - according to the binder that Martha sent me (yes, she spent the $10 to ship me a copy, too!), there is a certain timeline that we have to follow, and we're already two months behind. Whoops!_

 _As for Jacky - why am I not surprised? No girl his age is ever going to want a dropout who can't hold anything but his mother's unbridled obsession. I'm too young for him, and I'm still too old to tolerate his behavior! How is Martha taking the news? I can't imagine that she's too happy, but I can't quite picture her being angry with Jacky, either. I'll bet she blames Nelly for "ruining" her boy. Does she blame Nelly? Please let me know._

 _If you think that I didn't know about Stephen (that's Peggy's boyfriend's name, in case you didn't know), then you don't have very much faith in me at all. Peggy told me about him while she was in Oxford. I have since spent more time than I would care to admit investigating him on every social media site I could think of. Have you seen his connections on LinkedIn? He knows a good deal of important military men. You might think about becoming close with him. Good politicians have connections with the military._

 _Don't forget about those invitations, please. Martha has been texting me every night reminding me that we're behind schedule, and with the elections for a new prime minister going on, I really don't have time to hand-write 300 invites._

 _Love,_

 _Angelica_

 **My Dearest, Annie,**

 **I can't believe that you assigned me 300 invitations to hand write. The smudges on the corners of the pages consist of my blood. The actual quill that Martha made me use (for authenticity, apparently) has given me blisters and then done me the favor of popping said blisters.**

 **As the most severe punishment I can think of, I will not be telling you the most recent development in the Nelly/Jacky saga. Mostly because my hand hurts too badly, but also as revenge.**

 **Your**

 **Alexander**

 _My Alexander,_

 _I'm sorry to hear about your poor, dear hand. I hope that it has recovered enough in the time between your last letter and now._

 _Especially because you sent the wrong date out on the invitation._

 _I just got the call from Eliza. She says that you mixed up the month and the day. You set our wedding for a month from now. We're already behind as it is - Martha will have a heart attack if we move the wedding up even further. If Jacky hasn't already given her one, that is._

 _You'll have to send out another batch, apologizing to everyone for the mistake and setting the record straight. Get to work, Hamilton._

 _Love,_

 _Angelica_

 **My Dearest, Annie,**

 **I am not sending out another 300 invitations. I have enclosed the 300 corrected invitations. You may hand-write every apology and envelope.**

 **Your**

 **Alexander**

 _My Alexander,_

 _I'm not correcting those invitations, either._

 _Love,_

 _Angelica_

 **My Dearest Annie,**

 **I don't know what you want to do about this. Our "wedding" is in two weeks.**

 **Your,**

 **Alexander**

 _My Alexander,_

 _I bought my plane ticket. I will walk down that aisle on the wrong day before I hand write 300 invitations because you messed up the first batch. Pick me up from the airport on Thursday morning. Then I guess you had better write your vows because if you don't correct those invitations we're getting married on Friday._

 _Love,_

 _Angelica_

 **My Dearest Annie,**

 **I'll see you Friday.**

 **Your,**

 **Alexander**

* * *

 **Hi guys! Look what's back!**

 **Yes, I have finished my exams, taken my practice bar exam, and now I have a few more hours a week to dedicate to writing. A new chapter for this story should be posted every other week - the weeks in which this story won't be posted will be for my other lagging fic. If you're reading both, lucky you! If not, sit patiently. It'll all be over soon [but not actually, because there are still way more plot twists in store].**

 **Enjoy!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:**

 **My Dearest Reader,**

 **I know that I haven't updated in half a year. There's good reason for this - though I will not bore anyone with excuses. The fact is, I have all of the Hamgelica section done and a little over half of the** Hamliza **section done (guess which one was more fun for me to write), as well as a full working outline. Things are progressing behind the scenes. The story that you dream about has not been forgotten. I was not planning on dropping another chapter until I was done entirely; I have a hare-brained scheme going on in which I'm creating a writing website for myself in which all of my materials will live (such as my OC name database and all of my outlines, past and present, among other things) and I was going to debut it by posting the story in its entirety there, while updating this story weekly.**

 **That said, your reviews tugged at my heartstrings and I find myself breaking my own rules to provide you with some temporary solace.**

 **However, I must warn you and every other reader: things are about to get DARK. I don't know what I intended when I began to write this, but there are about 70% more triggers than I planned for, and a lot of good characters die. If you aren't prepared for bad things to happen to these lovely characters, this may be a good stopping point. I would never think less of you.**

 **If, however, you don't mind the darkness and love character development over the decades (especially Eliza's), stick around. You and I are going to have a lot of fun.**

 **Always,**

 **Your Dedicated Author**

Chapter Eleven

Angelica's wedding was one with little fanfare. Despite its 400+ guests, it was a quiet event that was over by 9pm. At 9pm, she and Church returned to their little house in Oxford. They did not go on a honeymoon. Church said that he could not take the time off of work. Angelica lied and agreed that she could not take time off, either.

Alexander was the highlight of the entire trip. Though Church went right back to work the day after the wedding, Alexander took Angelica out to breakfast. He took her shopping. He insisted that they see all the sights around. He was furious that Church could abandon his new bride so easily. Angelica told him it was fine. In a way, it was. She would have much preferred to spend the time with Alexander as it was.

* * *

Eliza's wedding took place seven months and twenty-five days after Angelica's. Angelica flew to New York a week early. Church dropped her off at the airport, promising that he would meet her in New York the day before Eliza's wedding. Angelica didn't care. George had forced Alexander to take a week off of work, and he'd just graduated from undergrad. He had nothing but time on his hands. Eliza, on the other hand, was busy preparing George for another potential campaign.

That meant that Angelica would have Alexander all to herself for four precious days.

Starting with her arrival at the airport.

"Annie!" Alexander shouted the moment Angelica stepped out of the terminal. She looked in the direction of the voice, and there he was. Alexander, live in living color.

Oh, god help her, she had forgotten how that man shined.

"Alex!" She shoved through the crowd to get to him. She would have fought off a rabid army if it meant getting to Alexander. Never mind the fact that she was weighed down by 100 pounds of luggage. Never mind that airport security was eying her as though she was suddenly a national threat. She would make it to those arms.

And make it she did. The moment that she reached him, Alexander swept her up into a hug so tight she was certain they would never be able to pry themselves apart.

And yet, somehow, they did.

"Has it really only been a month? Jeez," Alexander ran a hand through his hair. It was looking a little ragged. It was unlike Alexander to look anything less than polished. He must have been working hard. Eliza must have been working hard too, if she let him leave the house looking that way. "Hell, Annie, it's been too long. Far, far too long. Look at you! You look incredible."

"And you look…tired." Angelica quirked a smile. "Is George giving you a hard time?"

"You'll be surprised to know that Martha is the one giving me a hard time," Alexander said with a wry grin. "She's been obsessing over this wedding. Well, she and Eliza."

"Really? Martha? Being interested in your wedding? I can hardly believe it." Angelica teased as Alexander took her luggage from her and slung it over his shoulder.

"You know what else you won't believe?" Alexander asked, bumping Angelica's shoulder with his own shoulder. His eyes were alight. He had something good to say.

"What?" Angelica asked, unable to help but smile around him.

"Jacky's engaged."

"What?" Angelica yelped, drawing the attention of every person in the surrounding area. She smiled apologetically before asking, in a much quieter voice, "Jacky is engaged? To who?"

Alexander shrugged, his smile infectious. Alexander Hamilton did not just smile with his mouth; his smile spanned from his toes to the very top of his head. His smile radiated warmth. "Some girl named Nelly; he met her during George's most recent effort to get him to get a degree. And get this - she's eighteen. She's still a senior in high school."

"Oh, my god."

"George is losing his mind. Jacky just showed up with the girl one day. He said he'd dropped out and used the tuition refund to buy her engagement ring." Alexander was an amazing gossip.

"What about Martha? How is she taking it?"

Alexander smirked. "She's pretending it isn't happening."

"I should have known." Angelica shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"To tell you the truth, I've been staying at work overnight to avoid the yelling," Alexander said conversationally as they exited the airport and worked on hailing a cab. "On the bright side, I'm getting so much more done."

"Don't you and Eliza have a place of your own by now?" Angelica asked, surprised.

Alexander shrugged sheepishly. "We're looking for a house right now. She doesn't like my apartment."

"What's wrong with your apartment?"

"It's mine, not ours."

"Ah."

"But enough about me," Alexander waved the subject off as they climbed into a cab. "Tell me what you've been up to. How has married life been treating you? Are you getting used to being Angelica Church?"

"I'll tell you when I start getting used to it."

"I don't think I'm going to get used to it," Alexander said decidedly. "You'll always be Annie Schuyler to me."

"Good," Angelica smirked. "I only want to be Annie Schuyler to you."

* * *

"Are you ready yet?" Eliza demanded for the tenth time in the span of thirty minutes. She trotted across the room to the corner where Angelica had secluded herself to. Angelica did not look away from the mirror as she applied her eyeliner.

"Not yet, babe." She murmured for the tenth time. "But don't worry. We've got plenty of time."

"Only two hours," Eliza whined.

It was the day of her wedding to Alexander and she was anxious. She had woken up at four in the morning and started her beauty regiment. The ceremony did not start until two o'clock in the afternoon.

"I'm in my dress. My hair is completely finished. I'm just putting the final touches on my makeup. I promise I will be ready in time for the ceremony. Who am I walking down the aisle with, again?" Angelica asked absent-mindedly.

"Hercules Mulligan. You know, that childhood friend of his?" Eliza was patient, but only barely. "He's really nice. You'll like him. And even if you don't…you only have to spend a few minutes beside him. You can do that, can't you?"

"If she can't stand him, I'll take him off her hands." Peggy chimed in from across the room. She was fussing with her earrings, which didn't seem to want to clasp. "Ang, would you rather have Aaron? Because I can make that happen."

Eliza and Alexander had decided that Peggy was to walk down the aisle beside Aaron Burr. Peggy had only spoken to Aaron once, at the rehearsal dinner, but that had been enough for her to dislike him. Aaron had been extremely offended. He had - admittedly - grown more attractive in his college years and was now a dashing law school student with no shortage of ambition and charm. But Angelica and Alexander still teased him mercilessly and consequently, Peggy saw him as someone to make fun of as well. The fact that he was bringing a date who was ten years his senior only added to the mockery.

"Pass," Angelica smirked, finishing up her eyeliner before looking at Peggy. Peggy frowned and crossed the room to approach Angelica.

"Why not? You two could be cute together," She protested, plucking a tube of lipstick that Angelica had been reaching for right off of the coffee table that Angelica was using as a makeshift table. "Let me use this. Your lipstick is always so much better than mine."

"That's because I can afford lipstick that doesn't come in a pack." Angelica sniped, beginning to search for another tube of lipstick in her massive makeup bag.

"We can't all be rich newscasters." Peggy sighed. "Some of us still have to graduate high school."

"Who are you calling rich?" Angelica asked with a laugh. "I think that you probably make more than I do in a year at your summer job."

"Fine - we can't all marry rich. How about that?" Peggy puckered her lips in the mirror that Angelica had placed atop the coffee table before tossing the lipstick back onto the table and grinning at Angelica, apparently proud of the joke that she'd made.

Angelica, on the other hand, opted to act as though the joke had not happened. She liked to pretend that Peggy did not envy her lifestyle; that Peggy would not make the mistake of marrying for money instead of love. Angelica had done so only because her first choice was unavailable to her. She would never choose the life that she was living for either of her sisters.

"Stop bickering about lipstick and boys." Eliza, as always, was the voice of reason. "One day you'll be able to afford all of the lipstick under the sun, and until such time you are welcome to borrow mine. And you only need to spend a few minutes with Aaron Burr today. You just need to walk down the aisle, smile for the cameras and walk back up the aisle. Besides, Aaron is a nice guy. He probably won't bother you any more than you want to be bothered. I assume that you can handle spending ten minutes of your day with him, for my sake."

"Okay." Peggy pouted. "But if he tries to flirt with me -"

"He brought a date!" Eliza reminded Peggy in exasperation.

"I'm supposed to be the vain Schuyler." Angelica laughed. "Are you challenging me for the title, Peg?"

"Yeah, well!" Peggy insisted, folding her arms across her chest and shifting her weight from one foot to another. "You should see the way that he looks at me sometimes."

"I don't believe that." Eliza shook her head.

"Yeah, I kind of have to side with Eliza on this one." Angelica agreed. "I love to make fun of Aaron - you know that I do - but he's not just bringing any date. He's bringing Theodosia Provost. She's one of the most well-connected women on the East Coast. I don't think that he would risk his chances of working for any of the top ten law firms in the country just to make eyes at a high school senior."

"Isn't she old, though?" Peggy persisted.

"Do you want Aaron to be in love with you?" Angelica teased. "Is that why you're making such a big deal out of this?"

"No!" Peggy's face turned bright red.

"Peggy!" Eliza pretended to be scandalized, but the look of delight on her face gave her away.

"You have a crush on Aaron!" Angelica accused, laughing.

"I do not!" Peggy protested.

"Oh, my god, look at your face! You do like him! Aw, Peg. Are you going to try to get him alone tonight? Maybe ask him about all of his classes? You should ask him about Tex Mex food. He really enjoys it." Angelica couldn't resist teasing her sister about something so objectively funny.

"Shut up," Peggy grumbled, stomping across the room and pretending to busy herself with accessories.

"But she has a boyfriend, doesn't she?" Eliza asked Angelica quietly, her eyes still dancing with amusement. "Alexander and I have met him a few times. I think that his name is Stephen. He's in the military."

"Oh, honey," Angelica grinned as she shook her head. "It's a boyfriend, not a life sentence."

"Stop talking about it!" Peggy whined from across the room.

"We aren't even talking about you!" Angelica lied. "I'm calling it - you're the vain Schuyler sister now."

"Then what's everyone going to call you?" Peggy bit back.

"The supreme Schuyler sister. Naturally." Angelica flipped her hair for pretentious emphasis.

"What are you girls squabbling about?" Martha Washington appeared in the doorway with a patient smile and a tray of Starbucks coffee. She had taken on the role as the wedding planner for Eliza and Alexander and appeared to be the only person who could soothe Eliza before the wedding.

"Peggy is afraid that Aaron won't be able to resist falling in love with her." Angelica teased. Peggy scowled from across the room.

"Oh, honey," Martha smiled at her affectionately. "He has a date."

"But don't you know, Martha?" Angelica pretended to be scandalized. "She's so much older than he is! How could he possibly love someone who is the grotesque age of thirty-three?"

"Peggy." Martha admonished lightly.

"Shut up, all of you." Peggy grumbled.

"How could Aaron Burr possibly resist all of that charm." Angelica wondered with a playful grin.

* * *

"Oh, my gosh!" Eliza was pacing the length of the corner that Martha had stuck them just seconds before Eliza was destined to walk down the aisle. Angelica was standing beside Hercules Mulligan, watching him fuss with his crooked bowtie. Peggy was blushing beside Aaron Burr, very obviously doing her best to ignore the amused looks that Martha and Mr. Schuyler, who had, of course, been informed of Peggy's belief that Aaron was desperately in love with her, were casting her. John's girlfriend, Sarah, was fawning over Lafayette. Lafayette, oblivious to her flirtatious manner, smiled and continued messing up the punchline to some terribly translated joke. Eliza's friend, Emma, tried with all her might to ignore Jacky Custis. Angelica would have to remember to tell Alexander about Jacky's behavior when she saw him again.

Then the music started.

"Okay, girls, are you ready?" Martha immediately began fluttering around. "Angelica, the maid of honor always goes first. Are you ready? Hercules?"

"Yes, ma'am." Hercules grinned. Angelica rolled her eyes but nodded along.

"Then lead the way." Martha began clapping her hands and jumping up and down as Hercules began leading Angelica away.

Angelica followed Hercules willingly towards the aisle. She smiled at the rest of the guests and played the part of the beautiful matron-of-honor for just as long as she could; which was only until she saw to the man waiting at the end of the aisle.

Alexander.

God, he was handsome. How was he still so remarkably handsome? Surely it wasn't fair for someone to maintain such an extreme degree of attractiveness over the course of five years.

He met her eyes as she approached. His eyes sparkled, many even shone, with sheer delight. His mouth crooked into a smile. Though she was walking beside his best friend, Angelica knew that Alexander's smile was for her. She smiled back quietly but felt her legs stall out from under her.

Hercules glanced at her strangely as their pace slowed down. Angelica pretended not to notice; in part, it was because she was too busy to notice. She was occupied with convincing herself to continue down the aisle. To continue to allow this to happen. To let Eliza marry Alexander and live out her happily ever after.

"You good?" Hercules asked in a low voice as their pace slowed to a near-crawl. Peggy and Aaron had to take micro steps in an effort to avoid treading on them.

"Yeah," Angelica choked over her words. "Yeah, I'm perfect."

"Then you might want to pick up the pace," Hercules suggested.

"Right, yeah." Angelica took the final four steps and darted over to the bride's side of the altar. She smiled at the crowd, who were oohing and ahhing in their seats, before looking down at her shoes fixedly. She could get through this wedding, but only if she didn't look at Alexander until it was over.

"Aaron touched my hand before I walked over here and told me 'good luck'." Peggy whispered as she took her place by Angelica's side. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Maybe he saw how unsteady you were in your heels last night, and was sincerely wishing you luck on making it over here without him there to hold you up." Angelica suggested, glad for the distraction.

"I walk in heels just fine," Peggy insisted. "I was just drunk."

"You didn't have anything to drink." Angelica objected, her eyebrows furrowed. "You're only eighteen."

"Yes, I did. Sarah bought me drinks." Peggy said smugly.

"Sarah!" Angelica admonished as Sarah joined the ranks on the bridal side.

"What?" Sarah looked over, her copper eyes wide.

"Did you buy Peggy drinks last night?" Angelica asked.

"What? No! She's only eighteen." Sarah looked at Peggy, frowning. Angelica also looked at Peggy, an eyebrow arched and her lips smirking.

"I didn't say that she knew that she bought me drinks." Peggy smiled slyly and removed a driver's license from her clutch.

"That's where my ID went!" Sarah hissed, snatching the license out of Peggy's hand and putting it in her own clutch. "John and I tore our hotel room apart looking for that this morning!"

"Ooh, you and John tore apart your room? Fun!" Emma joined them.

"Not like that." Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Also, gross. Read the room. That's our brother." Angelica frowned at Emma.

"Oh, look, here she comes." Peggy brought their attention to Eliza, who was walking down the aisle with Mr. Schuyler. Martha trotted after them, ultimately taking her seat next to George, who looked as though he was just barely tolerating the entire ceremony.

Sarah clucked her tongue. "She's so beautiful."

She was, too. Her eyes were aglow, her face was flushed, her dimples were practically etched into her cheeks, and she was taking cute little skips forward, restrained only by Mr. Schuyler, who was struggling to keep the pace that Martha had set during the rehearsal. It looked like she was running towards Alexander just as fast as Mr. Schuyler would let her.

"We are gathered here today…"

Angelica tuned the pastor out as he began to run through the usual speech. She couldn't bear to listen to it. It had been bad enough when she had married Church just a few short weeks prior.

Wait…

How many weeks ago had she married Church? More specifically, how many weeks ago had she and Church returned to their little house in Oxford? And how many weeks had it been since she'd had…

Oh.

Angelica's vision began to get dizzy as she struggled with the numbers racing through her mind. It had been eight weeks since her wedding; eight weeks since her return to their little house. And nine weeks since her last period.

"Are you okay?" Peggy asked quietly, noticing the color quickly draining from Angelica's cheeks as Alexander and Eliza read through their absurdly long vows.

Angelica nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

This was not the place to wonder if she was pregnant. George Washington, the Congressman who was most likely going to run for president in two years was at the wedding of his handsome foster son, who was the daily subject of at least five Buzzfeed articles entitled things like "Washington has the best taste in healthcare and in assistants," and "Washington's aid steps out and looks fine doing it." The press was clamoring for even a glimpse of the event. If word got out that the matron-of-honor was having a pregnancy scare during the event, there would be news articles all over Facebook within the hour.

"And do you, Eliza, take Alexander to be your lawfully wedded husband…"

Angelica had chosen the wrong moment to try to tune in to the proceedings. That was worse than thinking about her possible pregnancy. She scanned the crowd, looking for Church. It wasn't hard to find him; it was a small wedding, after all. He was watching Eliza and Alexander, a bland look on his bland face. Angelica looked him over, trying to find some feature that might redeem him. Something that might make all of this okay.

There was nothing.

"I now pronounce you, husband and wife."

Oh, thank god. This nightmare was over.

As Eliza and Alexander disappeared off into the area that Martha had designated, Martha began to gather the rest of the wedding party for pictures. Angelica allowed herself to be herded off in the direction of the vineyard nearby, her mind clouded with thoughts of baby names and resignation letters that she would have to send into work.

The wedding pictures took a little over an hour. Angelica did not remember a single one. When they were over, she returned to the little reception hall and took her seat next to Church. Church spoke to her, but seemed placated by the simplest responses.

"I think I need some air." Angelica finally said when the room seemed just a little too small and the people seemed just a little too loud.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Church asked, not moving as Angelica practically leapt out of her chair.

"No." Angelica shook her head vigorously. "No, that's…um…that's okay. You stay here. Enjoy this. Maybe make sure that Peggy doesn't steal my ID while I'm gone."

"You got it." Church grinned.

Angelica tried to smile but failed as she exited the reception area. She stumbled down the hall until she could no longer hear the music. There, in the narrow hallway of the massive vineyard escape, she opened the closet door, hoping for a moment of peace to think through her current predicament. To her surprise, when she glanced down, she saw nothing but Alexander.

He was sitting on the closet floor with a box of pizza at his side. He looked very much like a startled chipmunk when the door initially opened, but once he saw that it was Angelica, he relaxed. He smiled as best as he could with a mouthful of pizza and patted the space on the closet floor next to him. Angelica smiled and stepped into the closet, closing the door behind her.

"What are you doing in here?" Angelica was still smiling. It was the first time that she had genuinely smiled in hours.

"I'm starving." Judging from the muffled sound of his voice, Alexander was speaking with his mouth full. Not that Angelica would know it, as the closet was pitch black. She pulled her cell phone out and turned on the flashlight, placing it between them on the closet floor. Alexander looked like a ghost illuminated by the small flashlight. "I haven't eaten since breakfast."

"You know that there was a ton of free food in there, don't you? Well, free for me. You're actually picking up the tab for that dinner. Why would you spend an extra twenty bucks on pizza when you're already buying a thousand dollar dinner?" Angelica asked.

"Eliza won't let me eat," Alexander answered, taking another massive bite of pizza. He continued to speak with his mouth full. "She wants to be a good hostess - which is great - but that means that I haven't eaten since five in the morning, and I won't be eating for another four hours. Unless everyone here decides to have mercy on my soul and goes home."

"Mm, that doesn't seem likely. They just started playing all of the 90's hits." Angelica pretended to frown.

"The fucking Backstreet Boys. They ruin everything." Alexander couldn't help but quirk a smile as he said this.

"Ah, they're not so bad." Angelica sighed, leaning with her back against the wall. "Not if you've had a few drinks, anyway."

"How many have you had?"

"Um, zero." Angelica sighed.

"Really?" Alexander perked up. "That's unusual. What's going on? Got a hot date after this? Or are you rushing off for another exciting European news report tomorrow morning?"

"I, um," Angelica hadn't intended to tell anyone, but Alexander was hardly just 'anyone'. "I think I'm pregnant."

Alexander choked on his pizza. He swallowed hard and took a few seconds to breathe before asking, "You…think?"

"The chances are looking pretty good. Or bad. Or…whatever."

Alexander stared down at his pizza for a moment before sighed and shaking his head. When he returned his stare to Angelica, he had the audacity to grin. "I should have known."

"Known what?" Angelica demanded.

"That you would manage to upstage me at my own wedding," Alexander answered.

"Alex, I didn't mean -" Angelica was grateful for the dark. Her face felt like it was on fire. "You know I would never -"

"I'm just kidding, Annie." Alexander chuckled, setting the piece of pizza down on the open box and scooting closer to Angelica. He bumped her shoulder with his own shoulder. "Congratulations. Really. Well, maybe. How sure are you?"

"I'd say it's a sixty-forty chance."

"Well, what're you waiting for? Why don't you grab a test and pee?" Alexander asked, his eyes shining even in the darkness of the closet.

"Because…what if I am?"

Alexander paused. "How will you feel if you are?"

"I don't know."

"Will you be…happy?"

"Church will be happy."

"I don't care how Church feels. I want to know how you'll feel."

"I guess I've never really thought about kids before. I mean, I've always seen them as a distant, 'maybe someday,' kind of thing, but never a right now kind of thing."

"Do you think you'll keep it?"

"What?" Angelica hadn't thought that far.

"No one will think less of you if you don't," Alexander assured her. "You don't even have to tell anyone if you don't want to. You know that your secret is always safe with me."

"I don't know." Angelica's head was starting to spin.

"Well, let's start with the basics." Alexander placed a hand on Angelica's bare knee. It was warm. It was so, so warm. Angelica tried not to think about that as Alexander continued to speak. "Let's get you that test."

"Right now?"

"Right now."

"But this is your reception." Angelica reminded him, like he didn't know. "You can't just leave your reception to get a pregnancy test with me. Eliza would kill you."

"I've already spent half an hour in this closet, and you're the only person that's stumbled upon me in that time. It doesn't seem like anyone is looking for me. I think Eliza is really the star of this party. Besides, you're her sister. She'd want me to go."

"I still don't feel right about tearing you away from all of this just to go with me on this stupid errand."

"It isn't stupid, and as of this moment, it is no longer your decision to make. The Washington team is all about women's rights, but I'm off-duty right now, so I'm making the call for you. We're going. I'll stop in the reception and let Eliza know. I'm sure she'll either tell me to run, or she'll insist on going herself." Alexander decided, struggling to his feet. He held out his hand to Angelica. She accepted it gratefully as she tried to stand up in a dress that was too small and shoes that were too big.

"Thank you." She murmured as Alexander opened the closet door. The lights in the hallway illuminated the closet, once again reminding Angelica of just how devastatingly handsome Alexander was.

"Of course." He afforded her the smile that he reserved just for her. Angelica just smiled back gratefully.

They walked through the halls of the estate until they reached the main event room. Eliza was easily spotted, wearing a massive white dress and charming everyone around her. Despite the fact that she was surrounded by at least ten people - all talking at once - Eliza noticed the moment Alexander and Angelica set foot in the room. She looked over at them, her face lighting up at the sight of them. With an apologetic smile, she excused herself from the other guests and approached them.

"There you two are! I was beginning to think that you had run off for good! Where have you been?" She asked. Angelica was mystified at Eliza's trusting nature. She didn't look angry or suspicious of either of them; she appeared to be genuinely happy to see them again.

"Listen, Betsey," Alexander lowered his voice conspiratorially and leaned closer to Eliza. "Annie and I need to run out really quickly. It'll only take a few minutes, but it's really important and it can't wait."

"He's being dramatic. It absolutely can wait." Angelica glared at Alexander.

"What is it?" Eliza's bottom lip quivered. She looked like a Disney character. "Are you okay, Angie? You're not feeling badly, are you?"

"No, I'm not, I just…" Angelica hesitated, not really wanting to tell Eliza, but not seeing a suitable alternative. "I think I might be pregnant. Alexander thinks we need to run out and get a test straight away. Really, though, honey, it can wait until after your reception is over. I don't want to make any kind of scene on your big day."

Eliza's concern lightened into nothing short of elation. "You might be pregnant? Oh, Alexander is right, you have to take the test right now! I'm going to be an aunt! Oh my gosh, and you're going to be an uncle! But how certain are you? Please tell me you're sure."

"Sixty-forty." Alexander contributed with a smile and a shrug. Angelica continued to glare at him. He smiled down at her apologetically.

"But that's more than half!" Eliza exclaimed optimistically. "Go, please. Think of it as a wedding present to us both."

"Don't think of it as a wedding present for me." Alexander teased, continuing to smile down at Angelica. "I still want something from the registry."

"I'm going." Angelica rolled her eyes and turned on her heels. She glanced back at Eliza briefly. "If Church asks where I am, can you cover for me? He…he doesn't know yet."

"Of course." Eliza nodded her head vigorously. "I won't say a word, I promise. Now please, go, go! Alexander, don't you dare let her out of your sight until she's on her way back with a test."

"You got it, Mrs. Hamilton." Alexander smirked, winking at Eliza before ushering Angelica off in the direction of the exit. Angelica tried to pretend that she wasn't feeling a twinge of jealousy over her sister's husband; especially not when she was pregnant with her own husband's child.

As they walked, they passed Aaron Burr's table. He was sitting with an older woman, presumably Theodosia Provost. As Aaron turned to look at Angelica and Alexander curiously, he dropped a buttered dinner roll on his tuxedo pants. It left a stain. Angelica glanced at Alexander to see if he'd seen it. Judging from the smirk on his face, it appeared that he had.

"Oh, Aaron." He murmured as they reached the door.

Angelica rolled her eyes and bit down on her tongue to avoid laughing.

* * *

"So," Alexander started as they walked through the city streets. They'd taken the back exit in order to avoid the press. "If you were to have a kid, would you want a girl or a boy?"

"I really don't want to talk about this." Angelica frowned.

"Okay," Alexander nodded, sticking his hands in his pockets. "So I hear that our own little Pegasus is in love with Aaron Burr."

Angelica smiled, relieved. "Yeah, it would appear so. She's now obsessed with proving that he's in love with her."

"Oh, Peggy." Alexander chuckled.

"I don't know, I think they might make a cute couple. She could bully him, and he could accept it."

"There's nothing Aaron does quite as well as being bullied." Alexander agreed as they reached the pharmacy. It was only right around the corner from the estate.

"I know. Speaking of, what's this older woman all about? Is he looking for a mother-figure or something?" Angelica asked as they entered the store and headed straight for the pregnancy tests.

"You know, I'm not sure." Alexander replied as Angelica skimmed the wide variety of tests available to her. "He just asked if he could bring a plus one, and Eliza practically insisted that we make room for her. George is impressed with her, which means that she's entirely too good for Aaron."

"Yeah, well, that's what you said about Dolly and James, and look at them. Married and watching Chopped every single night." Angelica reminded him, grabbing three different types of tests off of the shelves. It couldn't hurt to be sure.

"That's true." Alexander mused. "Do you know that I wasn't invited to that wedding?"

"I figured that you weren't invited when I didn't see you there."

"That really hurt my feelings. No, hey, let me pay for this." Alexander offered, only referencing the tests when they reached the counter.

"It's just as well; I left my purse with Church." Angelica shrugged, taking a step back so that Alexander could pay for the tests. "Anyway, I don't see why you're so upset about James' wedding. You didn't invite him to yours."

"Because he didn't invite me to his first." Alexander sounded like a petulant ten-year-old who had been snubbed when invitations to a birthday party were distributed.

"That's stupid. You should have just invited him. He would have been fun to have around." Angelica insisted, grabbing the bag of tests from the cashier as Alexander replaced his wallet in his pocket.

"Yeah, but with Madison comes Jefferson. Would you really want Jefferson here, right now? For all of this? You know how dramatic he can get." Alexander remarked, holding the pharmacy door open for Angelica.

Angelica smiled, fully prepared to make some sort of snarky remark, but was cut off by a blinding flash and the sound of maybe 10 men trying to speak all at once.

Before she could make sense of what was happening, Alexander swooped in. He removed his jacket, threw it around Angelica, used his left arm to pull her close, and charged right through the crowd of men that had gathered outside of the pharmacy.

"Angelica! Angelica!" The men hollered, following after them. "What are the pregnancy tests for? Who's the father? Mr. Hamilton, why are you buying pregnancy tests for your sister-in-law on your wedding night? Mr. Hamilton! Are you the father? Mr. Hamilton!"

"I should have asked Herc to go with you." Alexander murmured, mostly to himself. He allowed himself only the briefest glance at Angelica. His expression was pained. "Annie, I'm so sorry."

"Sorry? For what? Alex, what's…"

"Mr. Hamilton! Does your wife know about Angelica's pregnancy? Angelica! How does your sister feel about Mr. Hamilton escorting you on this errand? Is she suspicious? Mr. Hamilton!"

"Don't look at them, don't speak to them," Alexander instructed as they neared the wedding venue. "I shouldn't have gone with you. That was stupid. That was so stupid."

"Alex, I -"

Before Angelica could finish her thought, Alexander pushed the door open and stormed inside. As the door swung shut behind them, effectively silencing the cluster of men hollering outside, Alexander continued walking. He had removed his arm from Angelica's back and was no longer looking around to make sure that she was beside him. He didn't seem to mind that he was alone as he surged across the reception towards George. George looked startled by Alexander's anger, but immediately adopted an angry expression, himself.

"What happened to you two? Alexander looks about ready to scream." Eliza rushed over to Angelica's side in Alexander's absence.

"The press, I think," Angelica was still processing what had happened. "I thought that we had avoided them, but somehow they found out that we were at the pharmacy and…I mean, Eliza, is this what your life is like every day?"

Eliza smiled piteously. "Only when I'm with Alexander."

"Oh, honey." Angelica pulled Eliza into a hug and tried her best to blink away the tears that were burning her eyes. "I can't imagine."

"It isn't all bad." Eliza promised her optimistically. "Sometimes it can be nice; you get to know a few of the men, they write a couple of nice stories about you…but some of them are just downright rats. Those are the ones who would ruin a perfectly nice occasion like this one in order to get a promotion at work." She scowled as Angelica released her from the hug. Her face brightened almost instantaneously as she caught sight of the bag in Angelica's hand. "Oh, but let's not let them spoil everything. Do you know yet? Or did he insist that you come straight here? I can see from the way that he's talking to George that he made you come straight here. Come on, let's go to the bathroom. I'll wait with you while they carry on."

Eliza took Angelica by the hand and led her towards the bathroom. Her voice left no room for argument.

So they went to the bathroom, where Angelica peed on three different pregnancy tests. Who said that weddings aren't glamorous?

"Is it Church's?" Eliza asked as they stood in the bathroom, waiting for the three-minute timer on Angelica's phone to ding. At that three minute mark, they would know for sure. There would be a conclusion to this event. Angelica's fate would be determined by a stupid blue line.

"What?" Angelica asked distractedly.

"The baby. Is it Church's? Or do you know?" Eliza repeated. Her tone was not a judgmental one. It was one of curiosity. She was not the wide-eyed sophomore that she had been when Angelica had moved to Oxford.

Angelica cracked a smile. "It is definitely, one-hundred percent Church's."

"Are you happy about that?"

"I guess I should be, shouldn't I?"

"It's okay to feel differently than you think you ought to." Eliza reminded her carefully. She paused for a minute before asking, "Why did they ask if the baby was Alexander's?"

"I don't know, honey," Angelica answered, her face reddening.

There was a knock on the door.

"We're busy in here," Eliza called out, her voice tentative.

"I know," It was Church. "Alexander told me that you two were in here. I, uh, I don't mean to intrude, I just want to make sure that Angelica is okay. Alexander and Mr. Washington seem really upset about something, and I've heard a few people say something happened with Angelica…Angie, are you alright?"

Angelica sighed and looked at Eliza. "Let him in." Her tone was one of resignation.

Eliza looked at Angelica for a moment, like she thought she might change her mind. Angelica nodded, reaffirming her decision. Eliza shrugged and opened the bathroom door, gesturing for Church to enter.

Church looked at Eliza oddly before stepping into the bathroom. He then caught sight of Angelica and began to look her over for any potential defects.

"Hey. Are you okay? What happened?" He asked, taking a few steps closer.

"I, um," Angelica's phone timer dinged. She looked down at the tests, neatly lined up on the counter. They all conveyed the same message. Angelica looked up at Church, her jaw slack, her face flushed, and her eyes scared. "I'm pregnant."

* * *

"Are you sure that you want to sit through this?" Alexander asked Angelica for what might have been the twentieth time in the span of two hours. "It's not going to be all that interesting. And if they see you, they might try to ask you questions."

They were at a press conference that Washington had set up the day after Alexander's wedding. Alexander and Eliza were missing their first day of their honeymoon for this conference. Washington hadn't asked them to, but they had both insisted. They wanted to be present when Washington admonished the press for staking out Alexander's wedding, and for harassing Angelica on the street.

"It's about me, isn't it?" Angelica reminded him impatiently. "I should be here if it's about me."

"Okay." Alexander sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"She'll be fine." Eliza chimed in from the chair to Alexander's left. "She's a natural."

"I know, but…"

"If you're all ready," Washington spoke from the podium. His voice was firm, but even. It was a change of pace from the irate shouting that he'd been doing just hours before. "I'd like to begin. First I would like to thank Alexander, Eliza, and her sister, Angelica, for being here today. After the way that all three were treated by your colleagues last night, I believe that you owe them similar gratitude."

"Oh, boy." Alexander sighed, shifting in his seat uncomfortably. "He's getting warmed up."

Angelica frowned, wondering just how bad this would be.

* * *

This was awful.

Though Washington was clinging onto his temper - just barely - the reporters were asking questions that they had no business asking. They asked about pictures they had found of Angelica and Alexander in high school, they asked about Church's absence, and they asked about the fact that Alexander and Eliza were skipping their honeymoon. Alexander's knuckles were white from clenching his fists. Eliza was looking at the ground, blinking furiously.

"Congressman, if Mrs. Church is supported by her husband, where is he today?"

For some reason, that was the last straw for Angelica. She was through with watching these sad little people bully her favorite people. She was sick of watching Alexander and Eliza suffer through the insults without rebuttal. She was tired of watching Washington swallow his anger, nearly gagging on it each time.

Without thinking, Angelica stood up and stormed the podium, brushing Washington aside in the process.

"My husband isn't here because he has a job." She snapped at the reporters. They cowered in their seats, taken aback by her bluntness. "He has a job that doesn't involve making an entire family miserable for one line in a newspaper column. What you should be asking yourselves is - why am I here? No, really. Ask that. Why are you here?"

There was a murmur among the reporters.

"No?" Angelica's lips were trembling, she was so angry. "Then I'll tell you. You are all here because you accepted an employment opportunity at the first sleazy rag that offered you a job, instead of working hard to work at a place that produces something substantial. Do you know that there are journalists that cover things that matter? Wars, famine, civil rights movements. And here you are, questioning the legitimacy of my unborn baby. All of you should be ashamed of yourselves."

Washington smiled at her amusedly for a moment before stepping forward and leaning into the microphone. "You are all dismissed."

"Angelica!" Eliza admonished as Angelica stumbled away from the podium, visibly shaking with anger. "You shouldn't have spoken to them like that; I thought those poor people were going to cry!"

"Poor?" Alexander looked at Eliza like she was crazy. "Betsey, those are terrible, terrible people. Annie, you deserve an award for saying all of that stuff. Really."

"Oh, I don't…"

"Well done up there," Washington said from behind Angelica. "You really handled yourself well."

"Thank you." Angelica blushed.

Alexander watched her for a moment before clearing his throat uncomfortably. "Well, uh, Betsey, I think we'd better head to the airport and see if we can't catch the next flight out. I only have a few days left before classes start."

"Are you sure?" Eliza looked uncertain. "Angie, I don't want to leave you if -"

"Go," Angelica said, very much lying. "Have fun. I'm fine. I really am. I need to pack up and head back home, anyway."

"Already?" Eliza's eyes widened. "But we only just got you back!"

"I'll be back again for Peggy's birthday; I already promised. You can wait that long, can't you?"

"I don't…"

"Betsey, we really need to catch our flight." For some reason, Alexander did not want to meet Angelica's eyes. Angelica tried not to be offended by that.

"Go, honey," Angelica advised her. "Have fun. I'll see you soon."

"Okay…" Eliza said reluctantly. She pulled Angelica into a bone-crushing hug. "I'm going to miss you so much!"

"You too, babe." Angelica smiled.

"Bye, Annie. And good job today. Really." Alexander smiled at Angelica dutifully before placing his hand on the small of Eliza's back and guiding her in the direction of the parking garage in which his car rested.

"Thanks, Alex." Angelica murmured, watching their departure.

* * *

Rewind

Angelica's plane landed in New York at five in the morning on Thursday; the day before the wedding date that Alexander had sent by mistake. When she walked out of the terminal, her wedding dress slung over her shoulder and her suitcase clunking along behind her, she was surprised to see Alexander waiting for her with a big poster that read: "THE FUTURE MRS. ANGELICA HAMILTON."

Angelica Hamilton.

It had a nice ring to it.

"Annie!" He called out to her when he spotted her, like she wasn't already walking straight for him.

"Hey, you." She tried to play it cool, despite the fact that her heart was hammering against her chest.

"Are you ready to get married?" He asked, grabbing her suitcase from her.

"I am if you are."

"Annie, I was ready to marry you the day I met you." Alexander chuckled, grinning that grin that he saved just for her.

Angelica rolled her eyes. "Drama queen."

Alexander laughed. "I've missed you."

"And I've missed you," Angelica beamed. "Letters don't do your words justice. Speaking of, tell me more about Jacky and Nelly. Is she still at Mount Vernon? Please tell me that George hasn't driven her home yet. I really want to meet her."

"You just missed her," Alexander answered regretfully, taking Angelica's hand in his as they walked towards the airport exit. "George insisted on taking her home before the wedding. He thought that it would ruin it somehow."

"No way!" Angelica whined. "She could only make it better. I must meet the high school girl that fell in love with Jacky Custis. Did you get to meet her?"

"I did. Are you jealous?"

"Extremely. What's she like? What does she look like? Is she pretty? Is she average? Give me an estimate of what you think her IQ is."

"Mm…" Alexander grinned as he pretended to give Angelica's question some thought. "Maybe ten?"

Angelica clucked her tongue and rolled her eyes. "You're no help. You think everybody is stupid."

"Everybody is stupid." Alexander reminded her matter-of-factly.

"Am I stupid?"

"You could never be stupid."

"Yesterday I put my cereal in the fridge and the milk in the cupboard."

"Because your big, beautiful mind was focused on something more important, I'm sure." Alexander looked at her like she'd just won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Angelica rolled her eyes, but couldn't bite back a goofy smile of her own.

"Is she pretty?"

"No."

"I think that you're judging her too harshly," Angelica remarked as they climbed into a cab.

"Well, you'll just have to rely on my judgment. Unless you want to go to Virginia, that is."

"Mm, tempting as that sounds, I think we've got plans tomorrow."

* * *

"Do you, Angelica Schuyler, take Alexander Hamilton to be your lawfully wedded husband…"

Angelica smirked at Alexander as the pastor spouted the cliché lines behind the monumental mansion that was Mount Vernon. Alexander smirked back at her before mouthing the words, "I love you."

"Yes." Angelica didn't wait for the pastor to finish his question. She smiled at Alexander as she said, "I do."

There were chuckles throughout the audience, which was much smaller than Martha had planned. Only about half of the people invited were able to make the wedding on such short notice. Martha was already wringing her hands, agonizing about the leftover catered food that would fall into her care during Angelica and Alexander's honeymoon.

"Alexander, do you -"

"I do." Alexander grinned.

The pastor huffed, but accepted their assent. "If there are any objections…"

Both Angelica and Alexander's eyes went to Thomas Jefferson. He'd had to take multiple connector flights and long bus commutes in order to make it from France to the wedding on time. Blessedly, his eyes were sealed shut. The journey to New York had exhausted him. He had fallen asleep and was currently drooling on James Madison's shoulder.

"I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Alexander Hamilton didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed Angelica by the waist and pulled her closer. Angelica smirked up at him as he leaned closer, silently daring him to finish what he started. He did not disappoint. He ducked down and kissed her firmly and soundly.

* * *

"Congratulations, Angie," Eliza said, her face flushed as Angelica took her seat at the bridal table in the reception area that Martha had put together just a few days prior to the event. It was in a tented area just a short mile's walk away from the mansion, but still on George's property. "I never thought that I would see the day when you got married."

Angelica laughed, taking a long sip of wine. "I can't believe that I got married before you."

"It helps that you found somebody worth marrying before I did." Eliza reminded her, smiling at Alexander fondly. Alexander, who had previously been speaking to Hercules Mulligan, turned around and smiled at both women pleasantly.

"Worth marrying?" Angelica echoed, turning to smile at Alexander teasingly. "Mm, I don't know about that. We'll have to see."

"I'll be worth it; don't you worry, Annie," Alexander assured her, still smiling. "I've got to earn my keep somehow."

"I doubt you'll have to try very hard at all," Eliza told Alexander, probably because she realized that Angelica would not.

"Thanks, Betsey." Alexander smiled kindly.

"Hey, Angelica," Peggy whispered from Eliza's right. She leaned forward so that Angelica could see her. Alexander leaned closer as well, most likely hoping to get some insight into what was happening amongst the Schuyler clan. "Can you please tell Aaron to stop looking at me? He keeps looking at me!"

Eliza rolled her eyes, smiling. "She thinks that Aaron is in love with her."

"Burr?" Alexander spoke to loudly, his tone delighted. He started laughing so loudly that guests stared in their direction.

"I don't think so, he just acts like it sometimes!" Peggy insisted, her face flushing.

"Peggy loves Aaron," Angelica teased.

"I don't!" Peggy cried, looking around to see if anyone else could hear the conversation.

"She does," Eliza whispered, smiling playfully.

"You're in love with Aaron?" Alexander asked gleefully. "Aw, Peg, this is the best wedding present that you could've given us."

"I am not!" Peggy insisted.

"What about you, Eliza?" Angelica asked Eliza, while Alexander continued to tease Peggy about her definite crush on Aaron Burr. Seeing Eliza's perplexed expression, Angelica continued, "Do you see any groomsmen you like?"

Eliza blushed. "No."

"Are you sure?" Angelica persisted. It had been months since Eliza had been on a date. It had been years since Ben - her last serious boyfriend. It wasn't like Eliza to be anti-social. Angelica had started to worry.

"I'm very sure," Eliza affirmed, surveying the crowd. "I'm just not…looking right now."

"Okay." Angelica was the last person who would recommend that anyone hurry to settle down. "What about work? Are you still nannying for those horrible kids?"

"They are not horrible." Eliza admonished, though her smile betrayed her words.

"So you are," Angelica smirked. "Do you think that you'll want to be a nanny for someone else, once they're all grown up?"

"I don't…" Eliza's face reddened. She looked down the length of the table, where Mr. and Mrs. Schuyler were sitting. Mrs. Schuyler was lecturing Hercules Mulligan on proper table etiquette. George and Mr. Schuyler were visibly restraining themselves from laughing. Hercules just looked baffled by the conversation. "I don't want to be a nanny at all. I'm just saving up my money."

"For what, babe?" Angelica asked inquisitively.

"I want to go to Europe," Eliza answered in a rush, not meeting Angelica's eyes. "I know that it's crazy, and I know that I should do something more responsible with my money, but I just feel like…if I don't go now, I never will. Besides, there's nothing here for me right now. Nothing is tying me down. I can pick up and go to Europe for a few months, meet new people, have new experiences, and actually get outside of my comfort zone. Like you did, when you moved to England."

"You should, Eliza. Really. Work will be here when you get back." Angelica said, her smile fading into something closer to concern.

"Do you think that Mama will be upset?" Eliza inquired, glancing in Mrs. Schuyler's direction again.

"Oh, she'll kill you, honey." Angelica couldn't help but laugh.

"Who's killing Eliza?" Alexander chose that moment to re-enter the conversation. "And where can I find them?"

"Your new mother-in-law." Angelica bit back with a smirk. "And you can find her over there, yelling at Hercules. Feel free to tell her off whenever you feel like it."

"Uh, no thank you." Alexander laughed. He shifted his attention to Eliza, his sharp eyes softening. "Betsey, why is your mom going to kill you?"

"Oh, I don't…" Eliza was bashful. Luckily, Angelica was not.

"She wants to go to Europe when she's finally finished with the kids she's nannying. They're terrible."

"Europe, huh?" Alexander leaned back in his seat thoughtfully. "Why do you want to go?"

"What do you mean, why? She wants to have an adventure, like her big sister. She wants to be more cultured than people like you." Angelica snarked, taking a long sip of champagne as Eliza smiled at Alexander apologetically and Alexander shook his head, laughing.

"I don't think that you're uncultured, Alexander." Eliza felt obligated to tell him.

Alexander waved off her remark. "Ah, it's okay. I already know that Annie thinks that I'm horribly uncultured for not taking much interest in traveling. The fact is, I've seen glimpses of other countries, and I happen to like this one best. Why would I spend hundreds - maybe even thousands - of dollars going places just to reaffirm that I like this one the best?"

"If you think that New York is the best place in the world, you're even less cultured than I originally thought. You do realize that we have more overpriced hotels than we do homeless shelters, don't you?" Angelica reminded him.

Alexander shrugged. "I never said that it was perfect; I just said that I liked it the best. I like our constitution the best. I agree the most with what this country considers fundamental rights. I like our economic policies. I like the meritocracy we've created. I'm sure there are prettier countries out there, and I'm sure there are places in the world that are better equipped to handle issues like poverty and homelessness. That doesn't mean that our policies overall are bad. It just means that we've got more policies to make."

"Spoken like the capitalist pig that you are." Angelica teased, quoting one of Alexander's more outspoken law school classmates.

"Ah, yes, so I've heard." Alexander chuckled.

"Angelica." Thomas Jefferson materialized in front of the wedding party, looking rather worse for the wear. He glanced at Alexander for a moment before smiling at Angelica softly. "Can we talk?"

Alexander's posture went rigid in his seat. Angelica glanced over to see the look on his face. To say that he looked displeased would have been an understatement. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were filled with hatred. When he turned to look at Angelica, every fiber of his being was begging her not to go. Angelica just smiled at him complacently.

"I'll be right back, Alex."

"Annie." He protested, glancing at Jefferson - who was now smirking - before looking at Angelica pleadingly.

"I'll be fine." She assured him, squeezing his hand before standing up and walking around the table to join Jefferson. He escorted her out of the reception area, towards the woods. They exchanged smiles as they walked.

"I can't believe that you married him," Jefferson finally said, breaking the silence.

"Let's not do this, Tom," Angelica advised him gently.

"I know," Jefferson agreed immediately, nodding his head and looking down at the ground. "What's done is done. But Angelica, you know that you can leave him, don't you?"

"I don't think that I would have married him if I planned on leaving him." Angelica reminded Jefferson with a smile.

"I don't mean now," Jefferson also smiled. His smile was sad, though. "I mean in the future. You're too similar, Angelica. He knows it; and I think that you know it, too. This can only end badly."

"You might be right." Angelica shrugged carelessly. "Or you might be wrong. All I can say with absolute certainty is that if this has to end, I'm going to do everything I can to make the middle part a whole lot of fun."

"I love you, Angelica."

"That doesn't change anything."

"I know." Jefferson agreed. "I just thought I should tell you."

"Well, I love you too, Tom," Angelica said with a smile.

Jefferson smiled, his cheeks reddening a little. "Okay. I think I'm going to leave now. It was a beautiful ceremony, Angelica."

"What? But the reception just started." Angelica said, surprised.

"I know," Jefferson glanced back in the direction of the reception. "But I'd prefer to leave it this way."

"Okay." Angelica didn't bother to hide her disappointment. "Well, thank you for coming, Tom. Really. I mean it."

"Of course. Goodbye, Angelica."

"Bye, Tom."

Angelica watched Jefferson walk past the reception towards the main residence of Mount Vernon, a frown on her face.

But it was still her party. She couldn't loiter in the woods, feeling some semblance of guilt over Thomas Jefferson. So she picked up the hem of her dress and made her way through the poorly lit woods, in the direction of the reception.

On her way, though, she encountered something horrifying.

Peggy and Aaron Burr were making out in the middle of the woods.

"Peggy!" Angelica didn't try to avoid making a scene. "Aaron, you have five seconds to get off of my little sister."

"Angelica?" Peggy asked, sounding both confused and horrified.

"Angelica." Aaron sounded annoyed.

"Both of you, back to the reception. Aaron, do you know that she's only now graduating from high school? What, are you going to take a high school senior to your law school networking events?"

"What's going on here?" Alexander's voice came from a few feet away. Angelica squinted in the dark to get a better view of him. "Annie?"

"Oh, great." Aaron murmured, rubbing the back of his head as Alexander came into view.

"Oh my god." Peggy covered her eyes, as though that would make her suddenly disappear.

"Aaron was kissing Peggy!" Angelica exclaimed angrily, pointing at Aaron in a way that might have been comical, had she not been so angry.

"Burr." Alexander sounded more judgmental than angry.

"She's legal. She can make her own choices. What's the problem?" Aaron demanded irritably.

"The problem is that it's icky, and she's my baby sister," Angelica answered matter-of-factly.

"I'm not a baby, Angie. I'm a grown-up." Peggy reminded her, placing her hands on her hips.

"Peggy, you failed chemistry because you skipped class to flirt with the band director. You are not a grown up." Angelica bit back. "And shame on you for accepting someone like Aaron. He's a twenty-two-year-old who is happy to date a barely-eighteen-year-old. What do you think is the matter with him, if he can't get girls his own age?"

"You know that I'm standing right here, don't you?" Aaron reminded Angelica with a frustrated sigh.

"I'll get to you in a minute." Angelica snapped.

"Annie, honey," Alexander cut in, approaching Angelica with a small smile. "Look. This is probably a one-time thing. Aaron is going to Princeton for law school, and Peggy's failed her driver's test four times so far. There's no way that she's going to get to New Jersey."

"I'm taking my test again next week!" Peggy chimed in.

"Work with me, Peg," Alexander cast her a stern look before continuing. "Don't let Aaron ruin our wedding. You've sufficiently embarrassed Peggy, you've humbled Aaron, and now they'll probably never see each other again. Okay?"

"Actually," Aaron cut in with a grin. "I'm working for your father this summer. I'll be seeing plenty of the Schuyler sisters."

"I'm going to kill him," Angelica said decisively.

"No," Alexander took hold of Angelica's shoulders before she could lunge at Aaron. "No one in this family is going to kill Aaron Burr, do you understand me?"

"But he's -"

"I know."

"And he'll -"

"I know that, too."

Angelica let out a frustrated sigh and glowered at Aaron. Aaron smiled back hesitantly. Peggy just looked around, very obviously mortified.

"Hurt her, and I'll end you." Angelica finally said, turning on her heel and crunching off in the direction of the reception.

Alexander followed at her heels, struggling to keep up. "Annie, it's not worth your time to worry -"

"Alex, she's eighteen. What could Aaron want with her?"

"Well…"

"Don't answer that," Angelica shot him a warning look before continuing. "I mean, is he just getting back at me for turning him down in high school by dating my baby sister? He should have at least asked Eliza first. The age difference would have been less appalling, though I don't think I'd be able to stomach the image of her with Aaron any better."

"There you are!" Martha hurried over to Alexander and Angelica the moment they returned to the tent housing the reception. "I was just beginning to worry that you had taken off for your honeymoon already."

"Martha, our honeymoon isn't scheduled for later next month, remember? The wedding date was supposed to be later than this." Alexander reminded her patiently.

"Oh, right! Right." Martha agreed enthusiastically. "Well, you need to hurry over; it's time for you to cut the cake."

"Okay," Angelica agreed, reluctant to be the center of attention once again. "But while I'm gone, could you keep an eye on Aaron Burr for me?"

"Why is that, dear?"

"She appears to be on a date with Aaron Burr," Alexander didn't seem nearly as concerned about it as Angelica. In fact, he seemed amused.

"Oh, how wonderful for her! She was staring at him all morning with stars in her eyes."

"Am I the only one who isn't completely horrified?" Angelica asked, stunned.

"You might just be, honey," Alexander chuckled.

"Well…" Angelica huffed, a pout forming on her face. "Fine. If you're all so determined to be fine with this…"

"We are," Alexander agreed.

"Then fine." Angelica had a tendency towards inarticulateness when she was frustrated. "But this is just wrong. Someday, you'll realize it."

"I'm sure that you're right," Alexander agreed amicably. "But in the meantime, why don't we cut the cake?"

"Okay…" Angelica frowned, following Alexander and Martha in the direction of the cake.

* * *

"Angelica," It seemed that everyone was hoping to talk to Angelica alone before the reception ended. On the other hand, the only person who requested Alexander's attention from time to time was Eliza, who seemed to adore her new older brother. This time, it was Church requesting Angelica's attention. Angelica had invited him, hoping to forge a friendship with him. She'd missed him in the most platonic sense of the word. "Hey."

"Church. You made it." Angelica smiled at the sight of him. He hadn't changed a bit since high school. She was glad of it. The same sandy hair, the same kind eyes, the same complacent, if not empty, smile. It felt like he'd preserved himself just for her.

"Of course. Do you really think that I would miss all of this?" Church gestured around him, still smiling.

"I'd hoped not," Angelica didn't bother trying to play coy with him. Church was not one of her weekend boys; she would never treat him that way. He was like her favorite book, worn and waiting on the shelf for her. An old friend. A friendly face. She treated him accordingly. "So, hey, how have you been? Did you bring anyone with you? I thought I might have seen a 'plus one' on your RSVP."

Church's cheeks reddened, but his smile didn't falter. "I did. I, um, I've been dating this girl since college. Well, since…you."

"That's so great!" Had Church been one of her weekend boys, jealousy might have forced Angelica to seek this poor girl out and prove that Church valued her more, but luckily for the both of them (and for Church's date), Angelica was genuinely happy that Church had found someone who could actually appreciate him. He was, after all, a great boyfriend. Angelica knew that much. "Where is she? Could I meet her? Or would that be weird?"

"No, no. It wouldn't be weird at all!" Church grinned, leading Angelica away from Alexander. Alexander glanced after her, but was distracted by a question that Eliza had asked. Church guided her over to a table where an older, pretty woman was sitting. "Angelica, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Theodosia. Theo, this is Angelica."

"Oh, hi," From the look on Theodosia's face, it was clear that she already did not like Angelica. Angelica tried not to frown as she shook Theodosia's outstretched hand. "John has told me so much about you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Angelica smiled politely. "Have you met my husband? Alex…"

Alexander's attention snapped away from Eliza immediately. Angelica gestured for him to join them. He smiled before striding over.

"You beckoned?" He teased.

"Alex," Angelica smiled. She couldn't help but smile when he was around. "This is Church's date, Theodosia."

"Ah," Alexander glanced at Church warily for a moment before shaking Theodosia's hand. "Nice to meet you, Theodosia. Uh, Annie, we actually have to go soon."

"What? Why?"

"I have a surprise waiting for you."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you had something to do," Church blushed furiously, his expression apologetic. "Please, go ahead."

"What are we doing?" Angelica allowed Alexander to steer her away from Church, though she was somewhat reluctant.

"It's a surprise, remember?"

"Will I like it, or is it another one of your 'let's go to a waterpark in February' surprises?"

"I thought you had fun." Alexander looked at her in surprise, his mouth curved into the most delicious smile.

"Alex, we both got mild frostbite."

"Well, yeah, but besides that." Alexander grinned.

"You're stupid."

"And you're beautiful."

Angelica rolled her eyes but stopped arguing. It was hard to argue with Alexander when he was alight with excitement. His cheerfulness was contagious. Despite her reluctance, Angelica couldn't help but smile as they walked the path back to Mount Vernon.

When they reached the mansion, Alexander opened the door and guided Angelica through the narrow hallways and creaky steps. Angelica followed after him, eying him oddly.

Once they reached the top of the stairs, however, it all became perfectly clear.

"Oh, my god," Angelica looked around, her eyes wide and her mouth twisted into a smile of disbelief. "Alex, how did you do this?"

"I had some help from Martha," Alexander admitted, putting his arm around Angelica's waist as she continued to look around.

He'd decorated the upper floor of the mansion to look exactly like the crappy bar in Philadelphia that Aaron Burr had chosen so many years ago. There was a gaudy jukebox, leather booths, antlers hanging on the walls…the whole thing.

"You're crazy," Angelica told him, smiling up at him before walking across the room to the gaudy jukebox. "And there's only one song on this jukebox."

"That's because it's the only song that matters."

Alexander deposited a coin into the slot, causing the music to play. It was the song that had played when they had danced together in that crappy bar. Dedicated to reenacting that night to perfection, Alexander took Angelica's hand in his and pulled her close. Angelica allowed herself to be led across the room and back in swooping steps, as was Alexander's tendency when dancing.

"I love you, Annie."

"And I love you, Alex."

* * *

"Ah, Angelica," George smiled over at Angelica as she walked into his office at eight in the morning, the time at which all of his employees were to report. "I thought I saw your car in the parking lot. Looking for Alexander?"

While she was in the States and had time off, Angelica spent most of her days in George's office. Alexander spent the time he wasn't spending at law school in the office, struggling to make George realize that he was an invaluable asset to his campaign. Angelica helped when she could but mostly spent her time snarking around the office. The fact that Jefferson was interning for George just made the whole situation more fun.

"No, he's got class until noon," Angelica remarked, throwing her bag onto one of the nearby desks. "I just came over to pass the time. Well, and so I had an excuse to get out of baking cookies with Martha. Apparently, the church is having some kind of bake sale?"

George smiled sympathetically. "That would explain why she asked me to pick up five pounds of sugar on my way home tonight."

"Is that Angelica I hear?" Jefferson emerged from his cramped little intern office, a smile on his face.

"The one and only." Angelica smiled back at him.

"Finally, you've come to rescue me from this," Jefferson expounded, rushing over to where Angelica was shrugging off her coat.

"Someone's in a good mood," Angelica remarked with a suspicious smile.

"Someone's wasting time," George contributed, glancing at Jefferson with a patient smile and raised eyebrows.

"It's all for a higher purpose, sir," Jefferson promised, taking Angelica by the hand and dragging her into his office.

"Is this for a higher purpose?" Angelica challenged, wrenching her hand out of Jefferson's grasp the moment his door swung closed behind them. "Or are you just finding ways to get back at Alexander in his own father's office?"

"Must the two be mutually exclusive?" Jefferson asked with a wink and a smirk. He then continued hastily. "We have a press conference later today, in which Mr. Washington plans to take a stance on the new health care plan going around Congress. I just saw on Twitter - Michael Langdon is planning on being present. I know you're not up on politics, but Michael Langdon is -"

"I know who Michael Langdon is," Angelica interrupted impatiently. "What does he have to do with the press conference?"

"He's a freelance reporter, which means that he hasn't received the same strict dossier that the rest of the reporters have, from their supervisors. That means that he can ask Mr. Washington whatever he would like, with no repercussions."

"Oh, no. He can take advantage of the First Amendment. What are you going to do?" Angelica asked sarcastically, feigning panic.

Jefferson smirked at her humorlessly before continuing. "Mr. Washington does not have the temperament for any impertinent questions at present."

"What kind of questions is he getting?"

"That's not up for -"

"If you want me to help you," Angelica said, thrilled at the prospect of having Jefferson over a figurative barrel. "You have to tell me everything pertinent to the situation."

"You are becoming more and more like your nosy husband with each passing hour." Jefferson might have been teasing, but he might have been serious. His sarcasm was incredibly difficult to discern from his anger.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Angelica didn't care either way. "I like my husband."

"I suppose someone had to…statistically speaking, of course."

"Of course."

"Anyway," Jefferson sighed and plopped down at his desk. Angelica perched on the side of it, brushing some papers onto the floor as she did so. "This situation is a delicate one. Mr. Washington is a new politician; this press conference could make or break his alliance with prominent Federalist parties. That said, he needs to be tactful, or no Republicans will work with him again. He's been coached on the questions and parameters in which most of the reporters will remain, but Langdon…"

"He's a loose cannon." Angelica didn't need the basics spelled out for her. "So, what? What do you want me to do about it?"

Jefferson rolled his eyes. "What do you think I want you to do about it?"

"I'd like to think that you want me to use my intellect to concoct a solution, with the help of my brilliant husband."

"I'm sure you would," Jefferson smiled slightly. "But we both know that's not even remotely close to what I'm asking."

Angelica sighed, running a hand through her wind-tangled hair. "Alex won't like it."

"I already think this is a good idea; you don't need to convince me any further."

"I want something in exchange for this."

"Name your price," Jefferson folded his wiry arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair, looking intrigued.

"Next time Alex makes a suggestion, you're going to support it. Convincingly. You're going to tell Washington that you couldn't think of a better solution if you tried." Angelica informed him, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Jefferson was taken aback. "Him? What are you using your one favor on him for?"

Angelica shrugged, sliding off the desk. "I've officially thrown my lot in with him. You know that. The whole ceremony, where I wore a white dress, he wore an expensive tuxedo…I thought for sure that you were paying attention that day. Anyway, now his victories are my victories, his losses are my losses. I've never been on a losing team before, and I certainly don't intend to be on one now."

"I love you."

"You've already told me that before, don't be boring."

"Michael Langdon does most of his preliminary write-ups at Panera, an hour before a press conference is to take place. He's part of a broomball league on the weekends -"

"Is there anything more revolting than single adult sports leagues?" Angelica frowned, flicking through her phone in order to find more information about Michael Langdon.

"And he has reservations at some breakfast place for 1:15 this afternoon." Jefferson finished his explanation, rolling his eyes at Angelica.

"No to the breakfast place - no one meets anyone while they're trying to enjoy a meal. No to the broomball league - I will not be at my best if I have to wear a helmet and goggles. I'm good, but I'm not that good."

"Then when are you going to meet him?" Jefferson asked impatiently.

"Don't you worry about it," Angelica smiled, slipping her phone back in her bag and patting it reassuringly. "Just tell Washington to proceed as he usually would. He's got nothing in the world to worry about."

"Somehow, that doesn't instill a great sense of confidence in me," Jefferson grumbled as Angelica departed from his office.

* * *

"Congressman! Congressman!" It was George's press conference and so far, everything was going exceedingly well. George was calling on just about every reporter who called his name, and he had answers for all of their premeditated questions.

Except for one person, that is.

Michael Langdon.

Jefferson squirmed in his seat and snuck looks at Angelica every few minutes, obviously dying to know what she had done to prevent George from embarrassing himself in front of the large crowd that had accumulated to hear him speak. Angelica just smiled back complacently.

Nothing.

She'd done absolutely nothing to prevent Michael Langdon from asking a question.

At least, not yet.

"Congressman!" Ah, there he was. Michael Langton. 6"2, hair the color of a redwood tree, eyes the color of a husky's, and ears the shape of an elf's. He was frowning and clutching his outdated Blackberry to his chest - a typical stance for Michael Langdon. He waved a gangly arm to catch George's attention. "Congressman!"

"Yes, uh…" George couldn't help but notice him.

And that was when Angelica struck. She hit "send" on the post that she had queued to Buzzfeed, using buzzwords that all of the reporters present had programed as alerts in all of their social media sources. George Washington. Congress. Budget Plan. Congressman Washington. President Washington.

The post was a series of emails and financial statements and links, all of which pointed to one blanket summation: Michael Langdon had not been completely honest about his identity. He looked exceptionally Irish; Angelica had always thought so, and it turned out that he was exceptionally Irish. Formerly John Malloy, Michael Langdon had been a member of the IRA and had been a suspect in a bombing-gone-wrong in which twelve young children, visiting a government building as part of a school field trip, had perished, instead of the three politicians that the bomb had been meant for.

Escaping Ireland with the use of one of his deceased cousin's identities, Michael Langdon began his life in America by forging records of high school transcripts, false references, and a bank account of dubious origins. He attended NYU on these pretenses. While in New York, he also worked with a speech therapist to rid himself of the pesky accent that kept drawing attention to his home country.

Throw in a journalism degree, ten years, and bada bing bada boom - Michael Langdon, freelance reporter.

"Congress…man?" Langdon noticed the change in the demeanor of the crowd almost immediately. Reporters were staring down at their phones, amazed. A few of the faster readers were scribbling things down furiously, looking at Langdon every few seconds. George looked around as well, puzzled that everyone had stopped talking the moment that Michael Langdon stood from his chair.

Angelica, on the other hand, wasn't surprised at all. Without waiting for George's current press secretary to gain control of the situation, she stood from her chair, ignoring the questioning looks she received from Alexander and approached the podium at which George stood.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes Congressman Washington's statements at this time. Thank you for your time." Having spoken, she gestured for George to step down from the podium. He did so, looking at Angelica as though she had lost her mind.

Jefferson was the only person who wasn't looking at Angelica that way, as a matter of fact. He was looking down at his phone, smiling like a madman and shaking his head.

"What the hell was that?" Alexander murmured as they crossed paths exiting the press room.

"That was me keeping George's candidacy afloat," Angelica answered. "You can thank me later."

* * *

"Angelica," Okay, so George wasn't quite thanking her. In fact, sitting there, with Jefferson pouting beside her, it almost felt like she was being fired. "While what you did today was certainly well-intentioned and very much appreciated, you nearly caused my chief strategist to have a heart attack. You can't concoct these rogue plans with Thomas and enact them without my consent."

"Sir," Alexander burst through the door before George could continue speaking. Everyone turned to look at him. George looked exhausted. Angelica looked amused. Jefferson looked annoyed. "You shouldn't be yelling at Annie for what she did to Michael Langdon - you should be thanking her. We just got ahold of the list of questions that Langdon had lined up to ask you, and -"

"Where are you going with this, son?" George asked blearily.

"I think that you should hire Angelica."

"What?" Both Angelica and Jefferson asked in unison.

Alexander smiled at Angelica before continuing. "I think that you should hire her as…I don't know, is there an assistant press secretary? Surely R.J. is looking for someone to take some of the work off of his desk. C'mon, she's great at it, and she's already got a degree."

"That's a great idea." Jefferson broke the silence that had followed Alexander's suggestion. "I couldn't think of a better solution if I tried."

"Oh, this so does not count!" Angelica snapped, recognizing that Jefferson was trying to utilize this opportunity to agree with Alexander, per his agreement with Angelica, when he actually did happen to agree.

"It was his next suggestion." Jefferson reminded her with a smirk and a shrug.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Alexander asked, looking between Angelica and Jefferson suspiciously.

"All of you - quiet down." George's voice was rising. Everyone shrank back in their seats and watched him with wide eyes, hoping that he would not lose his temper. Not when they were confined to the small space of his office. "Alexander, I am not hiring Angelica."

"George, if you just -" Alexander tried to protest.

"I am not hiring Angelica," George repeated, his voice rising again. Alexander shut up. "Because my chief strategist has already filled out the paperwork to hire her, himself."

"What?" Angelica, Jefferson, and Alexander asked.

George smiled at their surprised. "According to Walker," 

Dave Walker was George's chief strategist.

"She's got great instincts. Don't let that go to your head - he also said that you've got a long way to go before your execution is anything other than a sloppy disaster such as this afternoon. Anyway, he is willing to work with you, if you need time to take care of a few loose ends in Oxford, but he is also willing to pay you much more than your last job - a matter that you can discuss with him at a time in which these two haven't stormed my office in your defense."

"To be fair, sir, you did ask me to join you." Jefferson reminded George weakly.

"I was defending you," Alexander told Angelica proudly.

"You're an idiot." Angelica said with the ghost of a smile. She then turned to look at George. "Not you, sir. Of course, not you. Um, yes, I think I'd be glad to talk to Walker about a job. Where…?"

"In his office, down the hall," George replied before Angelica had finished her question. "Alexander. Thomas. You two stay right where you are. We need to have a long conversation about what behavior is and is not considered harassment in the workplace."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:**

 **I know I've promised this a thousand times, but this time I mean it - CONSISTENT UPDATES! I finished the ENTIRE story last night. It broke my heart. Things are going to get dark and controversial and heartbreaking. I can't wait. I'm going to try to update every other day until everything is done. I'm also going to be uploading the entire story onto my writing blog, if there are a few of you who don't want to wait a day between updates.**

 **Enjoy~**

Chapter Twelve

Washington offered Angelica a job as his deputy press secretary. Anyone who could stand up to the press the way that she had, he reasoned, would do an excellent job handling them during all of his press conferences.

Angelica asked for time to think about the offer but accepted just a few hours later. It was really a no-brainer. Working for Washington would mean being back in the city. It would mean having dinner with Eliza on a whim. It would mean being recognized for something other than her accent. It would mean a significant pay raise. It would mean seeing Alexander every day.

Church, unsurprisingly, was accommodating of Angelica's decision. Though she had not consulted him at all, he made a call to his father twenty minutes after Angelica called him with the news. He made arrangements to transfer to the New York branch of the company and set to work finding a house for them to live in. He hired a fleet of real estate agents who sent Angelica pictures of house listings every hour, on the hour.

While Church's team of real estate agents scoured the city for the perfect home, Martha Washington insisted that Angelica reside at Mount Vernon. She'd taken one look at the stuffy hotel that Angelica had planned to stay at indefinitely, and had sent George to collect her luggage. George had apologized, but they both knew that he was powerless to ignore Martha's demands. Both Alexander and Jefferson had offered up their own homes, but Angelica had turned down both for obvious reasons. Living with Jefferson was just courting disaster, and living with Eliza and Alexander…well, Angelica might not have been perfect, but she certainly didn't deserve that kind of punishment.

* * *

When Angelica was about six months pregnant, Eliza announced her own pregnancy. She and Alexander were over at Mount Vernon for dinner. Martha and George were immediately out of their seats, their eyes alight with excitement and arms outstretched to hug Eliza. Alexander was beaming with pride. Angelica was happy too, but not the self-less, everything-is-perfect kind of way. It was the worst kind of happiness. It was mixed with sadness and disappointment at the sadness ruining her happiness. She loved Eliza dearly and she was so happy that Eliza was getting the baby that she wanted so badly, but she couldn't help the feeling of anguish that took hold of her whenever Alexander looked at Eliza with nothing short of total amazement.

Luckily, morning came and a welcome distraction arrived.

"God damn it, why don't you just read the bill?" Alexander thundered, throwing a binder across the conference room in Thomas' direction.

"Alexander!" George thundered.

"Because it's a thousand fucking pages!" Thomas ignored George's anger, concentrating on his own. "We're trying to write a campaign speech, not a Tolstoy novel! Half of this is useless information about economic expansion and globalization. And just how do you think that he's going to read this chart off to his constituents? Or are we supposed to hand flyers with complex data and charts out to the unemployed factory workers in Ohio?"

"Look at Mister Labor Rights, not trusting the factory workers to understand numbers." Alexander's sarcasm was cutting.

George looked over at Angelica impatiently, like she was somehow supposed to stop this battle.

"You intentionally make this information inaccessible to get your way!" Thomas insisted. "They have no choice but to trust the numbers on these sheets - anyone without a degree in economics would be forced to blindly follow along."

"You don't have a degree in economics," Alexander quirked an eyebrow, sneering. "Is this your way of asking me to explain the big, scary numbers to you?"

"How dare you," Thomas snarled.

"It's okay to admit your shortcomings, Tom," Alexander continued, clearly delighting in getting a rise out of Jefferson. "Just go ahead and admit to the room that you don't understand math as well as I do. I'm sure they'll understand. But you don't need to insult the poor laborers in Ohio as an excuse."

"I am a more skilled mathematician than you'll ever be!" Thomas insisted. "I just think that if we are advertising this campaign as one for the people, we should make sure that we're showing the calculations themselves, not just the solution. If we only make the input data available to Wall Street, we are not for the people. We're for corporate greed."

"Do you really want to talk corporate greed?" Alexander queried in a tone that implied that Jefferson had better reconsider the subject. "Then why don't we discuss how it is that you've managed to earn a living this past year?"

"This isn't about me," Thomas' face reddened.

"I'm sorry, isn't everything?"

"That's enough." George slammed his fists on the table. Angelica sighed, shaking her head as Thomas and Alexander jumped at the noise. They looked at George guiltily, knowing that they were in a lot of trouble. "You both are professionals. Now act like it. Otherwise, I'll find myself a cabinet that I can actually work with."

"Yes, sir," Both Alexander and Thomas grumbled reluctantly.

"But he started it," Alexander couldn't resist having the last word.

* * *

"You shouldn't let him get to you like that," Angelica gave both Alexander and Thomas the same speech. She gave the speech to Alexander during lunch, when they both snuck out of the office just long enough to grab a smorgasbord of fast food. Alexander had scoffed and reminded her that Thomas was the one who was behaving immaturely and that she ought to have the same conversation with him.

Angelica gave the speech to Thomas over dinner one night when Church was working late. Thomas had reminded Angelica that Alexander was impossible and that she ought to have the same conversation with him.

A few months later, George tried taking them on a fishing trip to force them to bond, but that hadn't ended well, either. Alexander's line got tangled up with Thomas's - they had caught a fish with their joint line but had spent the rest of the trip arguing over whose fish it was.

As George's pre-primary election speech came up, things were looking pretty grim. If Alexander and Thomas could not work together civilly during a campaign, they would murder each other during a presidency.

In a last-ditch effort at peace, Martha invited Alexander, Thomas, and Angelica over for a dinner at Mount Vernon. Jacky would be present, which was unintentionally brilliant. It would unite the three against a common enemy: George's bratty stepson.

Unfortunately, Jacky left halfway through dinner and then Thomas and Alexander were right back at each other's throats.

"I asked you to pass the green beans, not go to war with France," Alexander snapped, jumping out of his chair and walking the full length of the table to grab the green beans from Thomas's side of the table himself.

Thomas grabbed the green beans before Alexander could. He held them an arm's length away from Alexander despite Martha and George's protests. "You didn't ask our hostess if she wanted any, first! Such conduct is hardly acceptable!"

"I don't want any green beans, please give Alex the bowl!" Martha cried.

"Oh god," In the midst of the chaos, Angelica felt a strange sensation in her lower abdomen. Her hands flew down to her stomach reflexively.

"Oh god?" Everyone turned to look at Angelica, the green bean debate now forgotten.

" _Oh god_ ," Angelica confirmed, her eyes widening as she looked up at the group in front of her. She locked eyes with Alexander and didn't look away as he rushed towards her. Thomas leapt out of his chair, sending the bowl of green beans tumbling onto the floor, and joined Alexander by Angelica's side.

"Okay, we have to get you to the hospital," George appeared to be the only one thinking rationally.

"What? No. I have a press conference tomorrow," Angelica protested. "I have to explain Alex's proposed economic sanctions on Belgium."

"His _what_?" Thomas turned to look at Alexander, very obviously irritated. "I don't recall that being on the agenda at the foreign policy meeting."

George had already promised Thomas the role of Secretary of State if George won the election; he had promised Alexander the position of the Secretary of Treasury. Alexander was already poaching on Thomas's territory, advising George on foreign matters without saying a word about it to Thomas. Apparently, this was one of those instances.

" _Focus_ , Jefferson," Alexander seemed relieved for the diversion that Angelica was creating. "We need to get Annie to the hospital."

"I'm fine," Angelica insisted, gritting her teeth at the unfamiliar pain of a contraction. "I think I should just take a nap for a little while. Alex, can you read through my speech and have notes on my desk by six?"

"No," George looked over at Alexander, who appeared to be considering Angelica's request. " _No_. We are getting you to a hospital right away. Thomas, call her husband. Alexander, call her sister."

George helped Angelica to her feet and guided her to the car, ignoring Angelica's repeated objections and reminders that she had a press conference the next day. Angelica was left with no choice but to follow him, listening as Thomas and Alexander spoke into their phones frantically, advising both Church and Eliza to come to the hospital as soon as possible.

"He's catching a flight right now," Thomas assured Angelica.

Angelica sighed and rolled her eyes. "There's no need; it's not a big deal."

"Annie, you are having his baby," Alexander reminded her emphatically before returning his attention to the phone. "Yeah, sorry Betsey. We're going to the hospital right now. Martha said that she would come pick you up. No, don't worry. Everything is fine."

"Everything is fine," George assured Angelica, sensing that hearing Thomas and Alexander speak frantically into their phones was stressing Angelica out more than the idea of having a baby was.

Angelica didn't quite believe him, but the words were appreciated all the same. She sighed and nodded her head before buckling her seatbelt.

* * *

"Angie!" Eliza was waiting at the hospital when they arrived. She ran over to Angelica, completely ignoring Alexander. "How are you? Does it hurt? Are you…"

"I'm fine, honey," Angelica was not certain that this was the truth, but she still felt the need to shelter Eliza from the truth.

"Annie," Angelica turned around at the sound of Alexander's voice and was surprised to see that he had retrieved a wheelchair. When had he gotten a wheelchair? "Hop in."

"Who here is the husband?" A nearby nurse shooed Alexander away from the wheelchair as Angelica plopped down. She looked over the small crew of people that had accompanied Angelica critically.

"He's in England," Angelica grumbled.

The nurse looked at her for a moment before shrugging. "Okay."

The nurse began wheeling Angelica in the direction of what she just assumed was the delivery room.

"Wait, I'll go with her!" Angelica heard Alexander called from the waiting room, followed by the sound of footsteps.

Angelica's eyes widened. Her face turned red. She loved Alexander - oh god, she loved Alexander - but she did not want him to witness this moment in her life.

"No, you will not," Eliza saved Angelica for having to tell him no. Angelica heard her soft footsteps against the hospital's tile floor and turned around to see this exchange. "I love you, Alexander, but honey, you do not handle chaotic situations very well. You tend to make them, well, more chaotic. I'll go with her. You can go with me when it's my turn."

"I -" Alexander pouted.

"Go," Eliza softened her words with a smile and a kiss to Alexander's nose. "It'll be over before you know it."

"Work on the comments I asked you for," Angelica felt compelled to say something. She grinned at Alexander from over her shoulder. "I still expect them by six."

Alexander laughed as he walked back to the waiting room.

* * *

Eliza had lied - it had not been over before anyone knew it. Angelica was in labor for hours before the bratty little baby who would later be identified as her son allowed himself to be brought into the world.

When he finally arrived, Angelica dubbed him Philip Johnathan Church. Everyone took turns holding him while Angelica enjoyed the afterglow of the drugs that she had been given throughout the labor. It was all too easy for Angelica to fall asleep, smiling at the sight of Alexander bouncing the little baby in his arms.

It took about five hours for Angelica to wake up again. When she did, Church was there. He had paid some exurbanite amount of money to catch a red-eye flight in an effort to make it before his son was born. He'd missed the birth all the same, but it was the thought that counted.

"The economic sanctions were for falsely accusing another country of building up their arsenal; an attempt to pit two countries together for the sake of getting better trade deals," Angelica mumbled sleepily, lolling her head to get a better look at Church. When he looked up at her in surprise, she smiled at him hazily. "I'm going to miss the press conference because I had to give birth to your son - who, by the way, doesn't seem like he's going to be an easy one to raise."

Church laughed, shaking his head. "I know. Alexander was just here a few minutes ago to drop these off."

He held up a packet of paper - Alexander's comments.

"What time is it?" Angelica tried to sit up to look around the room.

"Almost five," Church replied, glancing at his watch. "Get some rest, Ang. The doctors say that you need some recovery time before they can send you and Philip home."

"Leave it to him to supersede even the most ridiculous deadline," Angelica couldn't help but laugh. "Can I see them? And can you turn on the light?"

"Angelica, I really think that you should -"

"John. Please," Angelica rarely used Church's first name. When she did, though, it had the most profound impact on him. "This is the only thing that will feel normal after today. I just had to deliver your son and his massive cranium without you there."

"Alright," Church sighed, standing up and dropping Alexander's comments on Angelica's bed before crossing the room and flicking on the lights. "But you don't get to use that as a guilt trip again."

"What?" Angelica sat up, looking at him in surprise. "No! This wasn't good enough to be my only use. He weighed nine pounds, John."

Church's eyes narrowed as he returned to his seat. "Fine. You can use it one more time."

Angelica settled against her pillow with a self-satisfied smile. "Thank you."

"Uh-huh." Church tried to act irritated, but he was smiling. He could never stay mad at Angelica for very long. It was one of the things that Angelica liked best about him.

"Oh, no," Angelica's smile faded as she read Alexander's comments. "Did you talk to him?"

"No," Church's eyebrows furrowed. "He stopped by before going to see Philip. Why?"

"He's going to start a war with Belgium if he goes out and says half of this," Angelica replied, flipping through the pages. "Is he still out there? I need to talk to him."

"Stay where you are," Church instructed as Angelica began to wiggle and worm her way out from under the itchy hospital sheets.

"This is an issue of national security," Angelica protested.

"It's a campaign speech, he isn't president yet," Church huffed.

"But if he's elected with these threats, Belgium will definitely declare war," Angelica waved the packet in the air emphatically.

"Alex, are you done yet?" Church asked irritably, his eyes moving to the doorway of Angelica's hospital room. Angelica followed his stare and was surprised to see Alexander appear, laughter etched into the lines of his face.

"You _ass_ ," Angelica threw the packet across the room at Alexander, who dissolved into laughter. Church smiled reluctantly but didn't join the laughter. "Do you really think that giving me a heart attack just hours after I gave birth is funny?"

"Aw, c'mon Annie," Alexander's smile didn't falter as he scooped the packet up off the floor and approached Angelica's bed. "Give me some credit. I knew it wouldn't kill you. I just thought that if you were going to make me do your job for the day, I might as well have some fun with it."

"Where are your comments?" Angelica tried to sulk. It didn't work very well. "Your real comments?"

"I didn't have any," Alexander answered with a shrug and a sheepish smile. "Your speech was perfect. Absolutely perfect."

"And so is Philip," Eliza stepped into the room, holding a little bundle of blankets that could only be Angelica's big-headed, difficult son. "I hope you don't mind, Angie. He woke up and was starting to wake the other babies…I begged the nurse to let me hold him."

"Of course I don't," Angelica smiled at the sight of her. "I'm sure it won't be the first time that Aunt Eliza saves the day."

"Hmm," Alexander's attention was ripped away by Eliza's sheer presence. "It certainly will not be."

The devotion in his eyes was enough to make Angelica miss the painkillers that had since worn off.

"Well," Alexander didn't notice. "I think that I had better go. I've got a press conference to give in just a few hours, and I'm still wearing my clothes from yesterday. Annie, you did a great job with this one. Looks just like you - thank god. Church, no offense. Betsey, I'll call you when I'm done."

"You're not going with him?" Angelica looked at Eliza in surprise. She always attended Alexander's speeches.

"I couldn't ask her to part with her nephew so soon," Alexander grinned, shrugging on his jacket. "Besides, we're going to need someone with infant experience when our own rugrat comes into this world. Goodbye, all."

"Bye, Alex," Angelica sighed, watching as Alexander disappeared from sight, somehow taking all of the light out of the room with him.

* * *

 **Rewind**

Angelica loved working for David Walker. She didn't think that she would, but oh, god, she did. Not only did she get paid $75,000 per year, but she got paid $75,000 a year to boss Alexander and Thomas around all day, every day. It was as though someone had read her diary and planned out a dream job for her.

Unfortunately, bossing Alexander and Thomas around also meant assisting George in mediating their arguments from time to time. This was never a pleasant experience for anyone.

"You're talking down to the people, _again_ ," Alexander seethed, waving Thomas's proposed campaign speech in the air. He then slammed it on the table in front of him. "You can't send him out there and expect him to speak to his voters like they're all illiterate. It's offensive, and it's going to breed contempt."

"And you think that a forty-page speech on one _minor bond issue_ is going to help the campaign?" Thomas lashed back with a sneer. "Everyone will fall asleep by page five. I certainly did."

"Maybe you need to drink a fucking cup of coffee and try again because this is -"

"Alex." Angelica cut him off as his voice rose, knowing that the argument wasn't going anywhere good. She sat between George and David, both men looking at Alexander and Thomas disapprovingly. Alexander and Thomas both turned to look at Angelica, both looking as though they had quite forgotten that she was present at all. "Thomas is right. If you ask George to read this entire speech, no one is going to pay attention. No news outlet will be patient enough to sift through to find a few good key quotes. None of the young demographics will want to slap 'Bondholder's Rights' on a poster board. By the time the speech ends, the attendees will probably be too checked out to know that they're supposed to clap. You know how awful that would look."

Alexander looked at Angelica, surprise written plain across his face. Thomas grinned triumphantly.

"Great," George didn't leave enough time for Alexander to protest. "Thomas, have a polished copy of your speech on Alex's desk by five. Alex, revise it and have _that_ copy on David's desk by nine tomorrow morning."

He stood up and removed himself from the room, most likely knowing that Thomas would gloat and Alexander would lose his patience. David must have known that, too, because as he followed George out the door, he cast Angelica a pointed look. The message was clear: get the situation under control.

"That's why I -"

"Tom," Angelica stood up and interjected before Thomas had the opportunity to do some real damage. As it was, Alexander was already leaning forward, ready to tear Thomas to pieces. "You have a speech to revise. I've seen all of the typos and the facts that you threw in without doing any research. You're going to need to use every minute between now and five o'clock to create something that David won't fire you for. Get to work."

"Of course," Thomas didn't love being bossed around by Angelica, but he respected her authority enough to know better than to argue. He smirked as he walked past her, tilting his head so that Alexander would see him wink. "Thank you."

"Leave." Angelica all but pushed him out of the conference room. Thomas spared Alexander one last gleeful sneer before disappearing from sight. Angelica sighed and placed her hands on the table, her eyes staring down at Thomas's speech.

"My speech was better than his," Alexander didn't give her even a moment to collect her thoughts. "You know that it was. You helped me write it! Why did you do that? Are you playing favorites? Have I displeased you in some way?"

"How dare you?" Angelica looked up at him angrily. "I choose Thomas's speech because it was the better speech for the campaign. It was the professional thing to do."

"Oh, please. It was a lunatic's rant!" Alexander stood up, locking eyes with Angelica. "He misspelled the word globalization twice."

"It's a verbal speech, Alex. His spelling doesn't matter."

"He's an idiot."

"You think that everyone is an idiot."

"That's because it's true."

"If everyone is an idiot, then you should understand why I think that coal miners in Ohio might not get as much out of your speech as you seem to think that they will."

"You're supposed to be on my side," Alexander's words were barbed; an accusation.

"I _am_ on your side," Angelica sighed. "But we're trying to get George elected, remember? Your paper was great, but it was just that - a paper. We're not trying to get George an A, we're trying to get him the presidency. Thomas wrote a campaign speech, you didn't. What did you expect me to do?"

"Give me another chance," Alexander insisted, not at all placated. "I can write a better speech than him."

"We still have time in this election. You've got plenty of time to write another speech." Angelica reminded him, running a hand through her hair.

"I don't -" Alexander's argument was interrupted by his phone ringing. He glared at Angelica for one second before answering.

"Hello? Hey, Betsey," Alexander looked up at Angelica, his eyebrows furrowing.

It was Eliza. Angelica had long since accepted that Eliza had earned a cute nickname from Alexander years ago.

"Wait, what?" Alexander's confused expression turned into a concerned one. "Why are you at the airport? Fuck, wait, okay? Just…wait. Annie and I are on our way. Stay right there."

"What's going on?" Angelica demanded as Alexander hung up the phone.

"Eliza is at the airport," Alexander answered hurriedly, grabbing his jacket off of the back of his chair and shrugging it on. "She says she's going to Europe. Her flight leaves in an hour. We've got to go if we're going to catch her before she leaves."

"Why is she going to Europe?" Angelica demanded as she and Alexander hurried out of the office. "And why was she going to tell you and not me?"

"I don't know," Alexander answered, searching his pockets for his car keys.

"Is she just going on a vacation?" Angelica persisted, taking the keys from Alexander and climbing into the driver's seat. She knew a shortcut to the airport and Alexander drove terribly when he was stressed out.

"She didn't say," Alexander answered, plopping down in the passenger's seat.

"Did she tell you anything?" Angelica demanded irritably, starting the car. She turned to look at Alexander. "Seatbelt, please."

Alexander put his seatbelt on with an irritated groan. "I told you everything that she told me. It wasn't a very long call. She just told me that she was going to Europe in an hour and she wanted to say goodbye."

Angelica sighed but paid attention to the road instead of asking Alexander any more questions. For his part, Alexander scowled down at his phone, trying to rewrite his campaign speech before Thomas finished his.

When they reached the airport, Angelica pulled into the red zone and threw the car into park.

"Annie, you can't park here," Alexander reminded her irritably. "People unload their baggage here."

"If we get involved with parking, we're going to miss her," Angelica responded, pulling the keys from the ignition and jumping out of the car. "We only have ten minutes before she boards her flight. If you want to park elsewhere, be my guest."

She threw the keys to Alexander before hurrying into the airport.

Alexander caught the keys and stared at her for a moment before mumbling "God damn it" and following after her.

* * *

They found Eliza in the airport lounge; she was sipping a cocktail with a big smile on her face.

"Eliza!" Angelica saw her first and hurried over to her. "Honey, are you okay? What's wrong? Why are you going to Europe? Are you just going on vacation?"

Eliza turned around to look at Angelica, her face flushed and her smile growing impossibly wider. She was drunk.

"Angie!" Eliza beamed, opening her arms up wide. "You're here! And Alex! You both came!"

"Of course we did," Angelica looked at her strangely. "Fill me in, babe. What's going on here?"

"Well," Eliza set her glass down on the bar and leaned towards Angelica as though she was about to share a massive secret. "I don't like it here very much. I think it's probably better in Europe, so I'm going over there to find out. If I don't like it, I'll just come back home."

"How are you going to afford all of this?" Angelica was struggling to make sense of her sister's plan.

"I have some money in my savings account," Eliza answered matter-of-factly. "And we have some family friends in Italy. If I run out of money, I'll go stay with them."

"Why don't we talk about this?" Angelica suggested. "You could come home with us, stay for the night -"

"No," Eliza insisted with a small smile. "Angie, do you know why everyone likes you more than me?"

"I don't think that anyone likes me more than -"

"It's because you take risks," Eliza continued on as though she hadn't heard Angelica. "Because you aren't afraid of anything. I'm afraid of everything. I don't want to be afraid anymore. I want to be like you. So I'm going to be like you and go to Europe and stop being afraid."

"But I just -"

"Last call for flight 605." The announcement rang over the speakers. Eliza perked up at the sound.

"That's my flight," She whispered excitedly. She fluttered around, collecting her bags. "I have to go. My phone number will still be the same, and I'll call you when my flight lands. I love you, Angie!" She threw her arms around Angelica's neck before hurrying off in the direction of the gate.

"Eliza, honey -!" Angelica tried to protest.

Alexander glanced back at her for a moment before running after Eliza. Angelica stood back at the bar, watching as Alexander caught up to Eliza and grabbed her arm, holding her back. They spoke for a few seconds; Eliza was more subdued than she had been a few seconds prior. Alexander was looking down at her inquisitively, like he was trying to figure something out. Eliza was nodding without meeting Alexander's eyes. After those few seconds passed, Alexander pulled Eliza into a hug. Eliza closed her eyes and nestled her face into his shoulders. Angelica could practically see all of the tension leave her body.

It was painfully obvious at that moment that Eliza loved Alexander.

Angelica could do nothing but watch and wait for Alexander to return to her.

And he did. When Alexander finally released Eliza from his hold, she smiled at him sadly before turning around and walking towards her gate. Alexander smiled after her for a second before returning to the lounge, where Angelica was waiting.

Angelica tried not to think about it as Alexander put his arm around her waist and suggested that they return to the car before it got towed. She tried not to think about it as Alexander opened the passenger's side door for her and offered to drive. She tried not to think about it, but each time, she failed miserably. And he noticed.

"Eliza thought that my speech was better than Jefferson's," He teased gently as they drove through the bustling city streets towards the office.

"No, she didn't," Angelica couldn't resist falling into the usual banter with him. "She never even read it."

"But she agreed that Jefferson is an idiot," Alexander grinned. "And that I'm much smarter than him. By default, that would make my speech better than his."

"And yet, it wasn't," Angelica snarked back, also smiling.

"It was too - you just don't want to be accused of playing favorites," Alexander decided.

"Yeah, that's what it is," Angelica laughed as Alexander pulled into Angelica's designated parking space. Another perk of her job - she had a reserved parking spot. "It has nothing to do with you including words that no one in Ohio has ever even used before."

"We would be doing them a service - everyone likes learning new words," Alexander reminded her with a smile as they walked through the doors into the office.

"Then bribe them with a dictionary and cut your speech by about thirty pages," Angelica laughed, shaking her head.

As they approached their respective offices, they saw Aaron Burr standing in the middle of the office, speaking to David. Both men turned to look at them as they drew nearer.

"There you are," David did not look pleased that Angelica had disappeared. She would justify herself later. "Do you know this man?"

"No," Alexander answered immediately, his face lighting up with the enjoyment he was getting out of his own answer.

"No, wait," Aaron turned around to look at David pleadingly.

Angelica rolled her eyes. "Yes, we know him. Aaron, what are you doing here?"

Aaron let out a relieved sigh. "I need a job."

Alexander snorted. "No kidding."

It was no secret around the city that Aaron had found himself at odds with the Republican party. He had landed an internship with the House Whip but had not been hired at the end of his internship because he had refused to publish an opinion piece with his supervisor. He did not want his opinion on the record. His latest meal ticket had been the daughter of a prominent Senator, but apparently, that relationship had fallen through as well.

"Alex," Angelica disapproved, shaking her head.

"What?" Alexander furrowed his eyebrows, looking at her in surprise. "You're not actually considering this, are you? He's a Republican."

"Not anymore, he's not," Thomas called from his office.

"Both of you, shut up," Angelica commanded irritably. "David, what do you think?"

"George is no champion of him," David replied, speaking as though Aaron weren't there at all. Aaron didn't seem to mind. Such conduct was common, especially when one was on the lower-tier of the political landscape. "Doesn't trust him much farther than he can throw them. I think it would be a waste to pay someone for someone George doesn't trust enough to use. If he were to work on a volunteer basis, I'd say maybe, but…"

Angelica looked at Aaron inquisitively, wondering if he would be willing to work as a mere volunteer.

"Please," Aaron lacked the arrogance that he had possessed in high school. He was looking at Angelica, begging in earnest. Angelica didn't dare to look at Alexander, knowing that he was probably thrilled by the sight of Aaron begging.

"Should I even ask what you think?" Angelica tilted her head in Alexander's direction without looking at him.

"I think that that's really up to you, since you appear to be the only person even considering it," Alexander answered, his tone neither vindictive nor encouraging. He sounded like he was slightly amused by the whole thing; like Aaron was part of a gentle-humored sitcom.

Angelica looked Aaron over carefully. His expression didn't change from that of a pleading one - his desperation was sincere. Angelica knew that desperation could be a powerful, yet detrimental thing on a campaign such as this one. Aaron could claw his way up to the top of the polls - for George's sake, of course - or he could get sloppy and cause the campaign to tailspin. But he was smart and Republicans converting to Federalists was a rarity.

With a wide smile, Angelica stuck her hand out towards Aaron. "Welcome aboard, Burr."


	13. Chapter 13

Church became a stay-at-home dad. Angelica left him little to no choice; she would not give up her career and as the son of the owner of the company he worked for, Church was able to work remotely whenever he felt so inclined. Besides that, Church was enamored with his new son. After spending just one day with him, it became clear that Philip would be referred to as "Johnny;" Church liked the idea of the boy bearing the same name as him.

Angelica didn't care too much about the distinction between "Philip" and "Johnny." As long as her son was well and taken care of, she was happy to be able to return to work.

Once thrown back into the Washington campaign, it became painfully clear that Alexander and Thomas had not started to get along any better in her absence. Thomas held a grudge against Alexander for his stance on Belgium. Alexander made it clear that he thought that Thomas was stupid for not understanding the necessity of the sanctions. George tried to keep them both under control as best as he could, but it was too tough a task for a mere mortal.

But their arguments stayed out of the arguments, which was all that Angelica could wish for. It made her job infinitely easier; less scandals, less stories to spin.

Not only did their quiet arguments benefit Angelica - it also benefitted George. As his campaign picked up momentum over the course of a few months, the Federalist Society stepped forward and nominated them as their official candidate just before the primaries. The support bumped his poll numbers up to the point where a landslide victory in the primaries was inevitable.

The night of the official nomination, the Federalist Society invited George and his campaign to a massive party in which the booze would be free and the society would be stuffy and intolerable. Everyone was chomping at the bit to get going.

"Alex, are you almost ready?" Angelica asked impatiently, knocking on Alexander's closed office door. "The cab is waiting downstairs. Everyone else is ready to go!"

Alexander emerged from his office, his eyes alight with excitement. "I have to go."

"What?" Angelica's smile evaporated, a frown taking its place.

"Betsey is in labor," Alexander explained, his voice hitching with frantic excitement. "I have to get to the hospital."

"Oh, then I should -" Angelica immediately thought of collecting her things to go to the hospital with Alexander.

Alexander shook his head. "You have to go - if I can't be there for last-minute speech edits, you have to. You know that Thomas is useless after one glass of wine."

"Damn it," He was right.

Alexander smiled breathlessly. "Come to the hospital as soon as you can. I know that she'll want to see you."

Angelica nodded, trying to ignore the fact that Alexander had said nothing about wanting Angelica there for himself. There were shouts from downstairs - George and Thomas encouraging the two of them to join the crowd gathering downstairs. The sound of them laughing and cheering snapped Angelica's attention back to the reality at hand; that she must remain with those two men and allow Alexander to return to Eliza, where he belonged.

"Good luck," She said, trying her best to ignore the tears stinging at her eyes. "You're going to do great."

"I hope so," Alexander grinned, untying his bowtie and starting for the door. "I've never been a father before."

"Give my love to Eliza," Angelica managed as she watched him run out of the building.

There was some vague chatter downstairs as Alexander explained to George and Thomas that he would not be able to attend the Federalist Society party, after all. George was excitedly trying to concoct a way to skip the party to attend the birth of his grandson. Thomas wasn't saying much, just reminding Alexander to leave.

Once the chatter died down, followed by the sound of the cab departing, Angelica risked leaving the office and walking down to the street.

"There you are!" George's face was red with delight. "Did you hear the news?"

"I did," Angelica forced herself to smile. "I was there when he got off of the phone with her."

"Are we going to spend all night standing around talking about Hamilton, or are we going to go to this party?" Thomas seemed to be the only one who did not care about the potential of the night ending with a new Hamilton in the world.

"Of course, of course," George was too flustered to take offense to the tone that Thomas had used. "The speech is only in a short while. Ah, has someone called for another cab?" He paused to look at Angelica apologetically. "I told Alexander to take ours."

"We'll take my car," Angelica sighed, fishing her keys out of her pocket. "It'll take forever to get a cab in the middle of the city at this time of night."

"Okay," George was surprisingly amenable to this plan. "After the speech, do you intend to go to the hospital?"

"Of course," Angelica threw a smile over her shoulder - a specialty of hers. "It is my sister's baby, you know."

* * *

They didn't leave the party until two in the morning. George's speech happened sometime around midnight, but the hand-shaking and socializing took much more time than anyone had anticipated. George grew into more and more of a nervous wreck with each passing minute. Each time he tried to escape to call Alexander, Thomas took a shot. Consequently, Thomas was drunk by 12:02am. Angelica was the only semi-sane person by the end of the night. It was proving to be a difficult position.

"He's already born?" George was on the phone with Alexander as Angelica drove them to the hospital. "Have you named him? Well, why not? Oh, alright. What does he look like? Does he favor you, or does he favor Eliza?"

"Ugh," Thomas groaned from the passenger's seat. In a drunken moment, he had raced George to the car (not that George had consented to, or participated in, the race in any way whatsoever) and claimed "shotgun." George had rolled his eyes and climbed into the backseat of the car before calling Alexander. "I hope it doesn't look a damn thing like him."

"Oh, it's his appearance that bothers you?" Angelica teased.

Thomas lolled his head to the side, staring at Angelica in a manner that was both drunken and somehow patronizing. "His looks are the least revolting thing about him."

"So you think that he's cute?" Angelica couldn't help but tease Thomas about his hatred for Alexander.

"I want to go home!" Thomas yelled at full-volume. Both Angelica and George flinched at the screeching sound of his voice.

"Yeah, that was Jefferson," George disapproved, glowering at Thomas through the rear-view mirror. He was still speaking to Alexander, who had undoubtedly heard Thomas yelling. "I don't know. Yes, we're only a few moments away. Is he still awake? Is Patcy there? Has she held him yet? Could you put her on the phone?"

"You can call a cab to pick you up at the hospital if you need," Angelica told Thomas, glancing at him disapprovingly. "We never forced you to come along with us."

Thomas sighed loudly, slumping in his seat. "It's the only way that I could spend time with you tonight."

"Tom, we spent the entire night together." Angelica reminded him, rolling her eyes.

"But that was _work_ ," Thomas protested loudly. Angelica glanced up into the rear-view mirror to see if George was eavesdropping on this wildly inappropriate conversation between his two employees. He had his phone pressed up against his right ear with his hand blocking his left ear, which hopefully meant that he couldn't hear anything other than what Alexander was saying. "I never see you anymore. Not without all of this."

"Tom, I'm busy. We both are," Angelica tried to remind him lightly. She had been dancing around this subject for quite some time.

Thomas shook his head. They both knew that Angelica was lying. "You're busy. You have your husband, your baby, your job, Alexander…what do I have?"

"You still have me," Angelica suggested with a small smile and a shrug.

"Do I?" Thomas asked glumly. "I'm so low on your list. I'm after your son, after your husband, after Hamilton, for Christ's sake, after your sister, after your job…"

"Eliza always goes before Alexander," Angelica tried to lighten the mood with a small laugh. It did not work. Thomas was not amenable to humor when he was drunk.

"And Alexander always goes before me," He sifted Angelica's eyes with his own, daring her to tell him otherwise.

Angelica just stared at the road ahead, unable to argue. It was true - Alexander came before Thomas, came before Church…Johnny and Eliza were the only two people in the world that Angelica would choose over him.

"We're here," George's excited tone snapped Angelica out of the mental haze that Thomas had created. He began struggling with his seatbelt as Angelica found a parking spot in front of the hospital. He was out of the car before Angelica had even turned off the car. "I'll meet you two inside!"

He was out of sight in a matter of seconds.

"He's told me to stop talking to you," Thomas remarked, gesturing towards the direction that George had disappeared in. "He knows that you don't love me. Everyone knows it except for you."

"He knows?" Angelica's face reddened. "Did you tell him? Tom, this was never -"

"But you're not embarrassed that everyone knows that you love Hamilton," Thomas's eyes knit together, as though he were considering something very confusing. "Just me. Because you don't want anyone to think that you're a bad person. It's okay for Hamilton to be in love with you, because he already loves your sister. He isn't dependent on you. But I am. And the idea that someone could see that and judge you for not caring -"

"Tom," Angelica's voice cracked as she interrupted him. "Stop. Just…stop."

She climbed out of the driver's seat and started for the hospital, not caring if Thomas stayed inside the car or not.

"But I'm not your only victim, Angelica!" Thomas was now screaming in the middle of the parking lot. The farther away from him Angelica got, the louder his voice became. "Everyone knows that you don't love Church, either. Everyone knows that you're toying with your little sister's husband. How do you think that looks?"

Angelica's eyes stung as she pushed through the doors to the hospital. She hurried to the nurse's station before Thomas made it through the doors. "Where is Eliza Hamilton's room, please?"

"Down the hall there, to the left," The nurse smiled at Angelica.

"Thank you," Angelica nodded, starting in the direction that the nurse had sent her.

"Angelica," Thomas pushed through the doors. He didn't bother with the nurse's station, choosing to walk after Angelica down the hall towards Eliza's room. "Why don't you want to talk to me, Angelica? Did I say something that was too honest for you?"

"Tom, this is neither the time nor the place," Angelica ground out, still trying to walk faster than Thomas. Thomas's legs were twice the length of Angelica's, though, so he caught up with her in a matter of seconds.

"Don't act so high and mighty," Thomas snapped, glaring down at Angelica. "The only reason that you're here is because you're desperate for anything that Alexander will give you. You're even willing to push people down - be it me, Eliza, or anyone else - to be first in line to receive anything he's offering."

"Tom, I really think that you should -"

"Annie!" Alexander's voice filled Angelica's senses. She had been so focused on her argument with Thomas that she hadn't been keeping an eye out for Eliza's room. She turned around and forced a smile, hoping that Thomas would have the good sense to shut up and let Alexander and Eliza enjoy their happy day. Any other qualms he had with Angelica could wait for the parking lot.

Angelica's eyes were drawn from Alexander's tired but still handsome face to the little bundle of blankets in George's arms. Eliza's baby.

"Is this him?" She looked at Alexander in askance before walking closer. His little face was wrinkled and red, but the moment he opened a pair of lavender eyes that were exactly like Alexander's, Angelica all but fell apart.

"Oh god," Thomas murmured from beside Angelica. "Not another Hamilton."

"Tom, you - " As Angelica turned around to say something snarky, Thomas doubled over and threw up all over her shoes. They weren't just a pair of old sneakers, either. These were a pair of heels that had cost Angelica $750.

"Okay," George sighed, handing the baby back to Eliza. "I think that I had better call you a cab, son. Let's go."

Thomas was too far gone to protest. He nodded meekly, allowing George to lead him out of the hospital room and towards the hospital exit.

In their absence, Alexander burst out laughing. "Well, I guess I shouldn't have expected anything else from him."

"Honestly," Eliza tried to sound annoyed, but she was smiling. "Who ever heard of someone saying such a thing about a baby?"

"Could I hold him?" Martha asked with a hopeful smile. "I didn't think that George would let that little darling out of his arms for a single second, but it appears that this is my window of opportunity."

"Of course," Eliza handed the baby over with a smile. Her smile faltered when her eyes met Angelica's. Angelica's heart sank involuntarily; had they heard what Thomas had been saying to her in the hallway? "Um, Angie, I meant to ask you sooner, but I thought that I still had time…"

"We wanted to name him Philip," Alexander took over for her, smiling at her reassuringly. "We've always loved the name. It was taken off of our list when you named your son Philip, but now that you call him Johnny, we thought that maybe…"

"Y-yeah," Angelica was so relieved that she couldn't bring herself to care about whatever stupid name they gave this baby. "You don't have to ask my permission - name him anything that you like! The more Philips, the merrier."

"I don't know if that's true," Eliza reminded her with an amused smile. "Mama would probably say the exact opposite."

"I told you that she would be fine with it. That's what makes her cool Aunt Angelica," Alexander brushed a strand out of Eliza's face with an affectionate smile. Eliza caught Alexander's hand before he could pull it away and pressed a kiss to the back of it, her eyes full of adoration.

"I'm going to go get you another pillow," Angelica remarked, not really wanting to watch Alexander and Eliza fawn over each other for an indefinite period of time. "It looks like you could use one."

"I'll go with you," Alexander surprised her by offering. "I can tell from the look on Martha's face that she's dying to give Betsey some advice once I'm out of the room, anyway."

"Oh, you," Martha grinned at Alexander, but didn't bother protesting.

Angelica smiled at Alexander as they emerged from the room and began to slowly wander down the hall towards the nurse's station.

"You said that I would be cool Aunt Angelica," Angelica scrambled for words, never satisfied to waste her precious time with Alexander in silence. "Am I not going to be cool Aunt Annie?"

"No," Alexander shook his head, grinning. "Annie is just for me."

Angelica rolled her eyes, stepping to the side as another anxious nurse ran between them. Alexander leaned against the wall in front of her, still grinning. Angelica made the mistake of looking straight into his eyes, and just like that - the hospital around them disappeared.

He was going to kiss her. If he didn't, Angelica was sure as hell going to kiss him. They both leaned forward without realizing it, never breaking the intense eye contact that had started what felt like a lifetime ago. The smile on Alexander's face faded into something darker. Goosebumps erupted across Angelica's skin despite the fact that the hospital was warm with the humid city weather surrounding them.

He was close enough that she could see patches of stubble that he had missed when shaving. She could see his pupils dilate, could smell the scent of his warm cologne.

"Excuse me!" A nurse pushing a pregnant woman in a wheelchair ran by. Angelica and Alexander were narrowly able to jump out of her way in time.

That pregnant woman was like a douse of water thrown over Angelica.

She was at the hospital to help her sister celebrate the birth of her first son, and yet, here she was - about to kiss Eliza's husband!

"I should go," Angelica whispered, her voice barely audible among the din of the hospital.

"Annie," Alexander disapproved, his eyes pleading.

Angelica shook her head, suddenly feeling suffocated by his presence. She pushed him arm's length away from her and spun on her heel, headed for the exit without looking back to see if Alexander was following her. Mostly because she couldn't bear to see him just standing there, his choice made.

* * *

"Hey," Church greeted her when she slammed through the front door of the house just an hour later. Angelica looked at him in surprise. She had just assumed that he had gone to bed at 10 o'clock, as he usually did. She had not expected to find him sitting in an overstuffed armchair in the living room, a book splayed across his lap. "How was the party?"

"Eh," Angelica shrugged, removing her coat and hanging it on the coat rack by the front door. "We were all dying to get out of there. Eliza had her baby. That's why I was so late in getting home - we went straight from the party to the hospital."

"She did?" Church's eyes lit up. "Was it a girl, or a boy?"

"Boy," Angelica rolled her eyes. He hadn't wanted anyone to tell him beforehand; he wanted to see if he could guess. He had guessed that it would be a girl. It was not the first time that Church was wrong.

"Damn," Church smiled, his tone far from angry. "What did they name him?"

"Philip," Angelica answered reluctantly. Church was oddly possessive about all things relating to Johnny.

"Philip?" Church echoed, arching an eyebrow. "Do they not remember our son's name?"

"We never call him Philip," Angelica responded, rolling her eyes again. "And besides, what does it matter? It's just a name."

"Mm," Church hummed noncommittally.

"I think that I'm going to quit working for Washington," Angelica ventured, placing herself in a chair just across from Church. It had been an idea that she had been mulling over during the drive home. Working with both Thomas and Alexander was no longer fun - it had crossed into dangerous territory that threatened to ruin her life, their lives, and Eliza's life. Such a risk was unacceptable.

"Really?" Church didn't seem upset by Angelica's suggestion, just surprised. "I thought that you enjoyed working for him."

"I do," Angelica sighed. "But I think that it's kind of a plateau for me. I think that I should probably be thinking about moving my career forward, right?"

"Sure," Church nodded agreeably. "Where are you going to move your career to, exactly?"

"Aaron Burr has connections at CNN," Angelica replied, running a hand through her hair. "He could probably get me an interview. I'd probably be doing puff pieces for a little while, but maybe my access to George and his employees would allow me some exclusive interviews; really great stuff for my film reel. What do you think?"

"I think that you should do it, if it would make you happy." Church answered, closing his book and smiling. "But I think that you should probably wait until morning to make such a decision. Such matters are hardly decided for the best at this witching hour. Why don't we go to bed?"

"In a minute," Angelica answered absently. She was already sculpting the perfect letter of resignation in her mind.

"Don't work too hard," Church chuckled, planting a kiss to the top of Angelica's head before shuffling up the stairs to retire for the evening.

As the bedroom door upstairs creaked closed, Angelica pulled out her laptop and began writing out the email that she was certain would be passed around the office the following morning.

 _Mr. Washington,_

 _I am writing to inform you that as of tomorrow, I will no longer consider myself as an employee in your campaign._

 _It has been an absolute pleasure to serve you and the cause that you represent, but I have been offered a position at CNN which I cannot pass up for various reasons which I do not feel compelled to elaborate on. Rest assured, it is no fault of you or your other employees that I tender my resignation. I will miss you all immeasurably._

 _That said, if you were to use my departure as a means of forcing Alexander and Thomas into behaving, I would consider this letter used for a good cause._

 _Your employee-turned-constituent,_  
 _Angelica Schuyler_

As she hit the "send" button, Angelica felt herself detaching from the hold that Alexander had had on her since high school.

 **Rewind**

George won the Federalist Society's nomination, resulting in an invitation to a massive party where the food and booze would be free. George planned to give his speech early, then retire to the confines of Mount Vernon with Martha. Angelica, Alexander, Thomas, Aaron, and James Madison - who had been invited by Thomas, seeking a Republican ally during an evening with a bunch of federalists - all planned to stay out all night and make the most of the free amenities.

"Are you ready yet?" Angelica demanded, bursting through the doors of Alexander's office. He was still getting dressed, scrambling for his pants when he heard the sound of the door swinging open.

James, who had been passing behind Angelica on his way to Thomas' office, wolf-whistled at the sight of Alexander standing half-naked in the middle of his office. Alexander held up his middle finger towards James with a grin.

"Shut the door, Annie."

Angelica obliged, stepping through the doorway before closing Alexander's office door behind her.

"Hurry up," Angelica perched herself on the edge of Alexander's desk, watching him prepare for the evening. "Nearly everyone else is ready."

Alexander paused as he buckled his belt, looking Angelica over slowly. Angelica tried to ignore him, despite the goosebumps erupted across her skin. "You got ready awfully fast."

"I took the rest of the afternoon off," Angelica admitted with a grin. "The Federalist Society took over press coverage of their nomination."

"Hm," Alexander pretended to disapprove, but his smiling eyes gave him away. "Lucky you."

"Is he ready yet?" Thomas called from the center of the office.

"We're leaving without you, son," George contributed.

"I think he and Angelica are…indisposed," Angelica could practically hear the blush in James' voice.

Angelica rolled her eyes and emerged from Alexander's office. Alexander yelped out a protest, as he was still buttoning up his shirt. Angelica tossed the door closed behind her carelessly; she doubted that anyone had gone so far without seeing glimpses of Alexander changing in his office before.

"I was just trying to help him get ready, James. Get your mind out of the gutter," Angelica looked at James pointedly before grinning at his now-wife, Dolley. "Why are you all so desperate to get there, anyway? We still have a little while before George's speech."

"Because the speech isn't finished, yet," Thomas answered impatiently. "We were waiting to get a read of the room before we put on the finishing touches. But Hamilton is taking forever to doll himself up, so there's no telling if we'll ever finish it."

"Calm down, Thomas," Alexander sighed, walking out of his office while straightening his bowtie. "Not all of us take centuries to finish a speech."

Thomas glowered as Alexander joined the group and slung his arm around Angelica's waist.

"Let's get moving," George was good at reading when tension built between Alexander and Thomas. "You can re-read your work in the car to make sure that you're ready to write when we arrive."

"Yes, sir," Both men grumbled, following George towards the door outside. As they moved, Alexander turned around to grin at Angelica stupidly.

"Did you see his tux?"

He was referring to Thomas' tuxedo, which was an off-gray color and appeared to be made from a cheap material.

Angelica rolled her eyes and tried to ignore him, but couldn't stifle a small smile.

* * *

The last thing that Angelica remembered about the Federalist Society nomination party was James crying and shaking Ted Allen's hand.

The beginning of this blackout night was George leaving the party but assuring them that he would pay for a driver to take them all home that evening. The moment he disappeared from sight, everyone scrambled for the bar. From there, it went from bad to worse very quickly.

Angelica's dress was torn. She didn't know when she had torn it.

Alexander's face was streaked with soot. There was no telling where he had stumbled upon soot during the course of that evening.

James and Dolley both looked as though they had been run through a washing machine. Their hair was soaked, their clothes wrinkled, and their shoes were missing.

Thomas' hair appeared approximately two inches shorter than it had been when they left for the party.

Aaron had writing all over his face. There was no telling if the writing was done in permanent marker, washable marker, or if it was a new tattoo.

The entire group - Angelica, Alexander, James, Dolley, Thomas, and Aaron - woke up the next morning in Thomas' overly expensive hotel room. It was just as well; no one else had purchased hotel rooms.

Angelica and Alexander were curled up on one end of the massive bed; Jefferson was sprawled at the bottom of their feet. James and Dolley were asleep in the bathtub; Dolley was spooning a bottle of champagne. Aaron was huddled in an armchair obviously not meant for sleeping.

Angelica was the first to crack her eyes open as light began to invade the room.

"Guys?" She rasped, looking around at the damage that they had exacted upon Thomas' room.

"Mm, go back to sleep, Annie," Alexander complained, trying to push her head back onto the pillow with his hand. Angelica swatted it away and struggled to her feet.

"No, guys, we should -" Her suggestion was put on hold by a sudden wave of nausea. She bolted for the bathroom, her limbs trembling under her like a baby deer's legs.

Upon reaching the bathroom, where James and Dolley were fast asleep in the bathtub, Angelica hunched over the toilet and began vomiting at a truly disconcerting volume.

James' eyes fluttered open at the sound of Angelica throwing up and immediately shouted "oh, _fuck_!"

The sheer volume of James' normally quiet voice caused Dolley to wake up and acquaint herself with the situation at hand. "Oh, my god. Alex? Alex, your wife is throwing up in here!"

"Annie?" Alexander questioned groggily from the room.

"I'm -" Angelica tried to answer him, but was forced to place her head inside of the toilet bowl and succumb to another wave of nausea.

"Annie," Alexander materialized in the doorway within a few seconds. He looked a mess, but he was obviously concerned. He approached Angelica, trying not to let her see that he was wrinkling his nose against the vile smell filling the room. "Honey, what's the matter?"

"I'm never drinking again," Angelica vowed hoarsely.

"Oh, god, the smell," James complained weakly. "I'm gonna -"

"No, no, no!" Dolley scrambled out of the bathtub just in time to avoid being thrown up on as James began to vomit. In her fit to get away from him, Dolley tumbled onto the tile bathroom floor and knocked into Angelica. This caused Angelica to smack her head against the countertop hosting the sink, sending another wave of nausea through her.

"What the fuck is going on in here?" Thomas demanded, appearing in the doorway and taking inventory of the situation.

"I've got to get out of here," Dolley crawled on her hands and knees between Thomas' legs to get out of the bathroom. She apparently could not wait even a second for him to get out of her way.

"Angelica…" Thomas was obviously torn about who needed tending to first. He took a hesitant step in Angelica's direction, reaching out his hands without knowing quite what to do with them.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Alexander groaned, gesturing towards James. "I have this covered. Would you please help him?"

Thomas glared at Alexander but blessedly did as commanded. He set to work running the shower to get James cleaned off - though neither men were yet sober enough to think about taking off James' tuxedo.

Dolley, meanwhile, called the front desk and advised them to send an entire cleaning team up.

Angelica's stomach strengthened as the moments passed, until she was finally able to brush her teeth and return to the bed. Alexander watched over her the whole time, chewing at his thumb nail anxiously.

Aaron woke up to see James emerge from the shower, soaking wet and still wearing a tuxedo, Dolley glaring at James from across the room, Thomas trying to convince the cleaning crew not to charge him for the mess they made, while Angelica ignored Alexander continually asking if she was still feeling okay.

"What the _hell_ is going on?"

"Questionable," Angelica answered with a small smile. "I think to answer that question fully, we would need to know what happened last night."

"What do you mean -" Aaron's eyebrows furrowed. "Oh,, god. What did happen last night?"

"A question for another time, I'm afraid," Thomas answered, having settled on an amount to pay the cleaning crew. "You all have cost me enough money for one weekend."

"We have to go so soon?" Aaron frowned.

"C'mon, Tom, be a good host," Angelica encouraged. "Let's order some room service and watch a movie."

"Actually," Dolley remarked from across the room, still looking James over critically. "We have to be at my parents' house in about an hour. They're watching John."

John was Dolley's son, from a previous relationship. He was young enough that James took John as his own son without much fuss.

"Do we have time to go home first?" James asked, eyes wide. "I don't want him to see me like this."

"You're not coming with me," Dolley looked at James like he was crazy for not knowing better. "You're taking a cab home. I cannot be in the car with you when you're still wearing that thing. Look at the bile stains on your pants!"

"Okay," James sighed, resigned. "Tom, could you ask the front desk to call me a car, please?"

"Okay," Thomas agreed reluctantly. "But you're paying for that."

"That's fair," Dolley agreed, casting James another sharp look.

"I guess that we had better head out, too," Alexander sighed, climbing off of the bed and offering Angelica a hand to help her up. Angelica accepted it, struggling to her feet and closing her eyes to reign in her weak stomach. "Aaron, do you need a ride?"

"Sure," Aaron agreed eagerly, scrambling to his feet.

"Alright," Alexander ran a hand through his hair blearily. "I'll call a car."

"Do so outside, please," Thomas glowered in Alexander's direction. His stare softened when it fell upon Angelica. "Unless you still aren't feeling well."

"I'll be fine," Angelica assured him as Alexander called the car.

"I will be, too," James added reproachfully.

"That's different," For some reason, Thomas felt compelled to justify the fact that he was more concerned about Angelica than he was about James. "It's your fault that you got sick."

"She drank too much! How is that not her fault?" James bit back.

"Boys, you're making a scene," Dolley rolled her eyes, pushing past them on her way out of the hotel room. She turned around, sparing Angelica an amused smile. "At least wait until we leave."

"Car's here," Alexander announced cheerfully.

"Already?" James found a new subject to feel indignant about. He turned to Thomas expectantly. "Where's mine?"

"They said that they would call when your car was available," Thomas reminded James impatiently. "Did you hear the phone ring?"

"Let me know how much I owe you for this," Aaron said, collecting his coat as Alexander and Angelica followed Dolley towards the door. No one was particularly anxious to stay behind and find out how Thomas and James' quarrel played out. "I'll obviously pay you my fair share."

"Don't worry about it," Alexander typically opted for the stairs, enjoying a moment of exercise to break up the sedentary lifestyle of a political, but this time planted himself in front of the elevator. Angelica pretended not to know that it was for her benefit that he did so. "You're hardly breaking the bank for me."

"Just cover the check next time we go to dinner," Angelica suggested with a playful grin. "Then we'll call it even."

Alexander rolled his eyes as the elevator landed on the first floor. "You don't owe us anything, Aaron."

"When did we go to dinner in the first place?" Aaron asked, climbing into the backseat of the car with Angelica. Alexander sat up front, giving instructions to the driver.

"Don't you come to Friday night dinners?" Angelica asked, certain that she had seen Aaron at their crowded bar table at least a few times.

Friday night dinners had become a tradition when George forced them to leave the office for a breath of fresh air after Alexander and Thomas had gotten into a massive fight. They had eaten so much that they returned to the office and went straight to sleep. Now it was tradition to stuff their faces each Friday night, then lock themselves in their office for a nice, long nap. George had not yet caught on to the second half of their tradition.

"What Friday dinners?" Aaron's eyes widened in a way that instantly made Angelica feel guilty.

"Oh…" Angelica felt terrible. She looked at the rear-view mirror, hoping that Alexander would help. When he pretended to be focused on his phone, she cleared her throat and tried to smile. "It's just a stupid thing we've started to do lately. You should come, if you're not already sneaking off for dinner with your friends."

"I don't really…" Aaron didn't meet Angelica's eyes. "I don't really have friends. I'm in the office most Friday nights. And every other night. I've started hating being home alone. It's so…quiet."

"Do you want to hang out at our place for a little while?" Alexander finally spoke up. "We don't have any other plans for the day."

Angelica nodded, agreeing.

"You don't need to do that," Aaron responded, very obviously embarrassed.

"We don't need to do anything. We really have nothing on the schedule today, and we always like company. Should I tell the driver to take us only to our house, or not?" Alexander tried to sound careless, but it was obvious that he was trying to convince Aaron to come over.

It worked.

"Okay," Aaron sighed, but his smile betrayed his true feelings.

* * *

It was a Saturday well-spent. Alexander made a fresh batch of drinks, Angelica turned the TV on, and Aaron parked himself in one of the comfortable living room chairs. They hate-watched reality TV shows, growing progressively less coherent as the drinks began to take their intended effect.

But drinking did not make Angelica's already-weak stomach grow any stronger. After just one full glass of coke and rum, she found herself lying on the bathroom floor once again.

"We're taking you to the hospital," Alexander's tone left no room for argument.

"I'll go with you," Aaron agreed. "I only had a couple of sips of my drink."

Alexander nodded. "That'll be quicker than calling another cab. Annie, do you think that you can make it to the car?"

"Of course I can," Angelica loathed to be treated like an invalid when she was perfectly fine, other than what she could only assume was a vile bout of food poisoning. "You don't need to be so dramatic about a little bit of nausea."

"Darling, drama is what I do best," Alexander might have smiled if he hadn't been so concerned. "Aaron, go start the car. We'll be right behind you."

He tossed the keys to Aaron, who moved to catch them but wound up dropping them on the tile floor. The tile cracked beneath the keys. Aaron looked at Alexander apologetically.

"Damn it, Aaron, I was trying to do something cool, there," Alexander sighed, using one hand to hoist Angelica to her feet before turning around to frown at Aaron. "You would make a terrible James Bond."

"Don't listen to him," Angelica huffed, shaking her head. "He says the same thing to me all the time."

"All I'm saying is, Bond would never throw up after just one drink." Alexander was getting his humor back as he placed Angelica in the car.

"I mean, do you want to fuck James Bond?" Angelica snarked, looking at Aaron as though they were the only people in the world capable of understanding how ridiculous Alexander was.

Alexander paused before climbing into the backseat. "Don't you?"

"We're leaving," Aaron declared, putting an end to the debate.

Once they reached the hospital, Alexander rushed Angelica to the front desk as though she were one of the people there who was _truly_ suffering; never mind the man in the corner whose kneecap appeared to be exposed.

"What do you mean, she has to wait?" He didn't seem to understand that doctors were not put on reserves in the special event that Angelica needed help. "She's sick!"

"Alex, it's fine," Angelica looked at the nurse apologetically before grabbing Alexander's arm and guiding him over to a cluster of chairs in which Aaron was already sitting. "A few more minutes won't kill me."

"But what if it does? You could have a brain aneurysm." Alexander argued.

"Have you been on WebMD again?" Angelica inquired, smiling vaguely.

"Annie, I'm serious."

"So am I."

"What if there's something the matter with you?" Alexander's tone softened, but his eyes focused on his shoes.

"Then we'll deal with it," Angelica didn't like to think about such things, either. "What else are we supposed to do?"

"But that's just it. I don't…I don't know what I'm supposed to do if I lose you."

"Well, for starters, you sue for wrongful death and make a decent profit off of the tragedy."

"Annie…" Alexander shook his head, but he was smiling.

"Mrs. Hamilton?" Angelica would never grow accustomed to people branding her with Alexander's last name. Alexander nudged her, reminding her that yes, she was Mrs. Hamilton.

The nurse smiled as Angelica staggered to her feet. "The doctor will see you now."

* * *

"Pregnant?" A brain aneurysm seemed more believable than the doctor's explanation for Angelica's sudden bouts of nausea. "What…does that even mean?"

The doctor raised her eyebrows. "Judging from your reaction, I'm fairly certain that you know."

Angelica felt like crying.

She had just agreed to work on a governor's campaign with David once George's campaign had run its course. Alexander had already agreed to serve as George's Secretary of the Treasury, should George win the presidential race. She and Alexander were beginning to look for houses in D.C. They had just managed to get Alexander's student loan debt under control. A baby would bankrupt them and steal any hopes of a career from Angelica, maybe even Alexander.

"If this isn't happy news," The doctor ventured carefully. "There is another specialist that you could see."

Angelica looked up at her in surprise, tears pricking at her eyes.

* * *

"So, what was it?" Alexander demanded once Angelica joined him and Aaron back in the waiting room.

"Just the flu," Angelica responded, wiping away the remnants of her mascara, still leftover from the night before. "Nothing to be concerned about."


	14. Chapter 14

Angelica successfully ignored Alexander for about six hours before Eliza called her, begging for baby advice about little Philip.

"He's not sleeping!" Eliza sounded as though she was on the verge of tears. Angelica could hear Philip squalling in the background. "I don't know what to do! Do you think that something is wrong? Alexander was looking on the internet and he says -"

"Don't worry about it," Angelica couldn't help but laugh. It felt like forever ago since she had been so frantic about Johnny…though, that could have been the fact that Church had become something of a baby expert the moment that Johnny was born. He had read at least 50 parenting books, and had 200 more on his Amazon wishlist. "He'll be fine."

"Do you promise?" Eliza demanded, not so easily placated. "Did Johnny go through something similar? How many hours a day does he sleep?"

"You would really have to check with Church on that one," Angelica sighed, flipping through the contract that CNN had sent over just moments after watching Angelica's audition reel. "He's the one keeping track of Johnny's sleep journal."

"A sleep journal," Eliza echoed it as though it were a revolutionary idea. Angelica rolled her eyes. "Alexander, do you have an extra notebook? We need to start a sleep journal for Philip!"

Angelica could hear Alexander's muffled response in the background, but couldn't distinguish what it was that he said. Philip continued screaming. It was starting to give Angelica a headache.

"Annie," Alexander's voice suddenly filled her head. He had taken the phone from Eliza without Eliza warning her. It was possible that Eliza hadn't known that he would do it, but it was far more likely that she didn't see why Angelica wouldn't want to speak with him. "You haven't been answering my emails."

"Did you email me?" Angelica asked, her eyebrows furrowing. Since being offered a job at CNN, she had tried her best to stay away from all methods of communication. She didn't want to have to justify herself to either Thomas or Alexander.

"One hundred and sixty times," Alexander answered, not sounding very amused. "What the hell are you doing? You're quitting?"

"CNN made me an offer that was too good to refuse," Angelica sighed, struggling to remember the speech that she had thought up for this exact conversation. "You know that if George wins the campaign, you'll have to move to D.C. with him. I don't want to do that. Church and I want Johnny to grow up in New York. We already have our perfect house, and the school systems here are second to none. Plus, my salary will be doubled and with all of the expenses that are coming up…I couldn't turn it down."

"Uh-huh," Alexander didn't believe her. It was obvious.

There was a long pause that hung in the air just long enough to make Angelica question whether or not Alexander had hung up on her before Alexander spoke again. "Would you visit Eliza in the hospital again? She misses you."

Angelica swallowed hard and nodded despite the fact that Alexander could not see her. "Okay. As soon as I'm done signing this contract, I'll be there."

"Good," Alexander sounded different. Angelica didn't like it. "Goodbye, Annie."

"Goodbye, Alex," Angelica frowned down at her phone for a moment before pressing 'end call.'

* * *

"Angelica!" Eliza's face lit up when Angelica appeared in her hospital room the following morning. She was cradling little Philip, who appeared to be fast asleep. Lying at the foot of her bed was a notebook entitled "Philip's Dream Journal."

"Eliza," Angelica smiled, approaching the bed. "How are you?"

"Much better, now that Alexander is back at the office and you're here in his place," Eliza answered playfully. "That man has not stopped running around since he read your resignation letter. I thought that he was going to give himself a heart attack."

"I'm sorry," Angelica didn't meet Eliza's eyes. "I know that it was a selfish thing to do, but I -"

"I completely understand," Eliza assured her, smiling. She hoisted herself out of bed and placed Philip in his cradle next to her bed. She returned to bed, sitting up on the bed like she had when she and Angelica would have sleepovers as girls. "Between you and I, I wish that Alexander would take a job in New York, too. I'm loathed to go anywhere but here, especially with Philip. On top of a new baby and a new job, we have to find a new home with a good school system."

"Alex will be able to do that," Angelica assured her. She didn't necessarily believe herself - it was an extraordinary amount of stress for one person to endure on their own - but Eliza very obviously needed to be reassured. "That man never sleeps."

"His son, too," Eliza sighed with a pointed glance in little Philip's direction. They both laughed, knowing that Eliza would soon have her hands full with a son just like his father. "Oh, but Alexander is just enamored with him. I've never seen him so wholly satisfied with anything since I met him. He thinks that Philip is already talking. He won't listen to anyone who tries to tell him that it's just baby babbling."

"That sounds about right," Angelica giggled, trying to disguise the fact that her heart was sinking with each word that came from Eliza's mouth. She felt so guilty. So horribly, horribly guilty. Eliza and Alexander were so happy with their newborn son, and Angelica was mulling over feelings that she had been harboring for Alexander since high school. It was so incredibly selfish of her. She should just forget about Alexander, allow him to enjoy his perfect family with Eliza. "Listen, I'm going to run and grab you some water, okay? I remember how dehydrated I got when I was here. No one ever thinks about bringing you water."

Angelica scrambled to her feet before Eliza could protest and quickly darted out of the room.

She contemplated cutting them off - disallowing herself from talking to Alexander at all - as she walked through the eerily white hallways. To do so would be more painful for Eliza than it would be for Angelica, though. Eliza would take it personally; thinking that Angelica no longer liked her family. Angelica was through with doing things that would hurt her little sister. Still, that left her at a loss for a solution…

While she was mulling over this conundrum, she didn't realize that she was walking right by Aaron Burr, who was standing in the middle of the labor and delivery department. Luckily, or perhaps, unluckily, Aaron Burr was not so distracted.

"Angelica?" He emerged from one of the rooms, a smile crossing his face.

"Aaron," Angelica whipped around at the sound of his voice, naturally deploying the polite smile that had become one of her main defense mechanisms. "What are you doing here?"

"Getting ice chips," Aaron gestured to the empty bucket in his hand with a small smile. "My wife is in labor."

"Your wife?" Angelica couldn't hide her surprise. "You're married?"

"And having a little girl," Aaron didn't seem offended by her surprise. "It's been a while since high school."

"So it has," Angelica agreed with a small smile.

"But not long enough, it seems," Aaron looked at Angelica like he could see right through her, his mouth tilting into a small smile. "I assume that you're here visiting Alexander's son? Must be hard for you."

"Not at all," Angelica lied through gritted teeth. "I'm happy for him and Eliza."

"Of course," Aaron was tactful enough not to call Angelica out on her obvious lie. "Anyway, I should really get those ice chips. I've left Theo alone for far too long as it is. It was good to see you, Angelica."

"You, too." Angelica lied, allowing Aaron to walk past her in search of ice chips.

Angelica's eyes followed Aaron for a minute before she glanced back in the direction of Eliza's room. The thought of returning to the cramped little room filled Angelica with dread. The door, just down the hallway, was tempting beyond comparison. It took no effort at all for Angelica to allow her feet to carry her down the hall and straight out the door, into her car and towards an unknown destination.

When Angelica snapped back into reality, she was surprised to find herself standing on the doorstep of Monticello.

"Angelica?" Thomas, who had been rounding the corner outside, noticed her before Angelica could decide whether to ring the doorbell or take herself home. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't know…" Angelica answered, looking down as her phone began ringing. It was Alexander. After just a few seconds of thinking, Angelica not only ended the call - she deleted him as a contact.

"Are you okay?" Thomas was looking at her like she was crazy.

Angelica looked up from her phone, a smile crossing her face. "I think I am."

 **Rewind**

"Stay home today, Annie," Alexander suggested, following Angelica around the house as she searched for two matching shoes. "You're still recovering from the flu. I'm sure that George would understand."

Angelica rolled her eyes. She hadn't expected Alexander to get so worked up over her fake flu. "I'm fine, Alex."

"You're not," Alexander looked her over suspiciously. "You've hardly eaten since the hospital trip on Saturday."

Well, that definitely was not because of any flu.

"I'll be okay," Angelica insisted, finding her missing shoe under the bed and putting it on triumphantly. She turned to grin at Alexander, as if finding her shoe were somehow exemplary of her ability to go to work. "I actually have lunch plans with Aaron today. How's that for not eating?"

"Why do you have lunch plans with Aaron?" Alexander took the bait and shifted his focus from Angelica's fake illness to her lunch date with their colleague, just as she had anticipated that he would. He shrugged on his jacket and started walking towards the car, his eyebrows furrowed as the gears in his brain began to spin. Angelica followed at his heels.

"Because I'm trying to make up for the fact that we somehow forgot to tell him about getting dinner on Fridays," She responded as she pulled a set of car keys out of her purse and darted for the driver's side before Alexander could remember to protest. "I feel bad. He said that he doesn't have friends."

"We're his friends," Alexander supposed, slipping into the passenger's side of the car.

"But does he know that?" Angelica sighed, running a hand through her hair as she waited for Alexander to buckle his seatbelt. "We were kind of mean to him in high school. He might think that we hated him."

"We got drunk with him and let him tag along to the hospital," Alexander said, buckling his seatbelt and looking at Angelica expectantly. She rolled her eyes and started the car, driving out of the neighborhood just quickly enough to appease him. "Is that not what friends do?"

"Still," She was leaving no room for argument. "I think that taking him out to lunch is the right thing to do. And I think that you should order in and eat with Thomas. If you don't start getting along soon, you're going to have a really hard time when George is president."

"I don't want to have lunch with Jefferson," Alexander shook his head, his mouth curving down into a childlike pout. "He's in love with you."

"Alex," Angelica warned him against pursuing this debate again.

"I know," Alexander's shoulders slumped sulkily. "But surely you don't actually expect me to eat lunch with the man?"

"No, I guess not," Angelica sighed. "Just keep out of trouble, then. Don't give George any more work than he already has to do."

"I don't see why I can't just go to lunch with you and Aaron," Alexander remarked, unbuckling his seatbelt as Angelica pulled into their reserved parking spot at the office building they were working out of. "If he has no friends, aren't two friends better than one?"

"I don't want to make him feel like a third wheel," Angelica shook her head, emerging from the car and closing the door behind her. She looked at Alexander from over the hood of the car. "If you went, you would only talk to me. You have a tendency to speak to everyone else only when I remind you that they're talking to you. It's extraordinarily rude."

"Everyone else is stupid," Alexander shrugged defiantly, a sheepish grin on his lips. "You're not. Why should I talk to anyone else?"

"You're in politics, Alex," Angelica laughed, unlocking the office door and holding it open for him. He walked through, his mouth open like he was about to argue. "Like it or not, talking to people has become half of your job."

"And why is that?" Alexander protested, walking backward to maintain eye contact with Angelica as they walked to their respective offices. "Whoever decided that it was absolutely necessary to speak to the people that you govern? The people are stupid. They don't know what's best for themselves."

"Mmm, I think that was the founding fathers?" Angelica reminded him with a smirk. "Now, get to work. You've got a lot to do before you start questioning the democratic process."

"All in a day's work," Alexander shot back, grinning as he backed into his office.

Angelica rolled her eyes and shook her head as she walked into her own office. Aaron - who had taken up residence in Angelica's office, mostly because David didn't want to pay for him to have an office - was already there, hard at work.

"Good morning," He glanced up at Angelica with a small smile. "How are you feeling?"

"I need you to tell Alex that we have - and went on - a lunch date together," Angelica closed the door behind her, trying to vocalize her request as quietly as possible.

"What? Why?" Aaron's eyes widened. This was clearly not a problem that he had anticipated solving first thing in the morning.

Angelica looked around the office like someone might be hiding and eavesdropping. "If I tell you, will you promise not to tell anyone else, especially not Alex?"

"Look, I really don't want to get in the middle of your marriage…"

"I didn't have the flu," Angelica knew that Aaron wouldn't tell. He was cunning, but it was in his best interest to maintain his loyalty to Angelica. Besides that, she was dying to talk to someone. She knew that it couldn't be Alexander, and if she was keeping a secret from Alexander, she knew better than to tell Thomas, so Aaron was the only viable choice left. "The doctor took one look at me and told me that I was pregnant. So today while we're supposed to be going out to lunch together, I'm going to go to a clinic down the street and get a little pill that will make this whole problem go away."

"What?" Aaron looked horrified. "Angelica, you should…you need to tell Alexander about that. I've never been married, but I think that's probably something he'd like to discuss."

"Thank you for the lecture on what I am obligated to tell my husband. Can't wait to see you running for office as a feminist," Angelica remarked sarcastically. "Are you going to help me or not?"

"I'm all for women's rights, but…" Aaron looked like he was going to be sick. He looked up at Angelica, silently begging for her to understand the difficult position that he found himself in. "It's half his, isn't it? Isn't this some kind of moral gray area where feminism doesn't…"

"Are you going to help me or not?" Angelica asked a little bit louder.

"Fine," Aaron squeezed his eyes shut. "Yes, fine, I'll help you, but I would just like it to go on record that I recommended that you tell Alexander."

"Consider it on the record," Angelica felt dizzy with relief as she sank into her desk chair across the room from Aaron. "Thank you."

Aaron nodded, looking thoroughly dissatisfied. "I don't think 'you're welcome' is necessarily appropriate here."

"Maybe not," Angelica agreed. "But I do appreciate it, Aaron. You're a really good friend."

Aaron pretended not to hear her as he returned to work. When Angelica glanced in his direction, though, she could see that he was chewing on his lip nervously.

* * *

"Okay, we're off to lunch," Angelica made Aaron stop by Alexander's office before they left the office under the guise of going to lunch. "Can I pick you anything up while I'm out?"

"What? Oh, no, thank you," Alexander looked up from his computer distractedly. His hair was a mess and his eyes were wild. He was obviously in the middle of a massive brainstorm. It was a good thing, too. Otherwise he might have noticed that Aaron was refusing to meet his eyes; instead, the poor man was staring down at his shoes and frowning. "Have fun at lunch, Annie."

Angelica forced a smile and nodded before shepherding Aaron out of the office.

"Well," She let out a massive sigh as they reached the parking lot. "I guess you can go get yourself lunch wherever. Just try to steer clear of places that Alex frequents. I doubt he's leaving the office for another few hours, just based off of how he looked, but…"

"I'm coming with you." Aaron shook his head.

"What?" Angelica was too surprised to argue. For now.

"Someone should be there for you, and if you won't tell Alex, then it'll have to be me," Aaron explained it as though it were a rule of law instead of some weird social code that he seemed to think existed.

"No one needs to be there aside from me," Angelica responded irritably. "Me telling you about this wasn't some weird cry for help. I just needed you to cover for me for an hour or two."

"You don't have to pretend to be brave all the time," Aaron rolled his eyes, following her as she began to walk down the street towards the clinic. "Nor do you have to make everything a display of your independence. I imagine that this isn't going to be an easy thing for you - no matter the reason. I want to be there for you, as a friend."

Angelica looked him over warily.

Aaron sighed and held his hands up in resignation. "If you don't want me there, I can just walk you there and then leave."

"No," Angelica spoke slowly, torn between wanting to accept Aaron's offer and wanted to critique his presumptive attitude. "You can come. If it would make you feel better, anyway."

"It would," Aaron was obviously just appeasing her, but that was okay.

"Okay," Angelica smiled at him gratefully. "Then I guess you can come. For your sake."

"Of course." Aaron smiled patiently.

* * *

"Yeah, she was completely fine throughout lunch, but once we started walking back, she just felt a little off," Aaron cringed as he paced the length of Angelica and Alexander's cramped living room. It was clear that he did not like being dragged into this lie deeper and deeper with each passing moment, but it was really out of everyone's control once he acquiesced to helping her in the first place.

Angelica had been wrong to think that she could return to the office after her doctor's appointment. She had been very, very wrong.

"She'll be fine," Aaron shot Angelica a look that let her know that he was very angry with her for putting him in this position, but he knew that it was not the appropriate moment to express such anger. "Really, I don't think that you need to come home immediately. She says that she'll be fine. Can you talk to her? Oh, uh…" He looked at Angelica in askance.

Angelica nodded grimly.

"Sure, she's right here." Aaron handed the phone to Angelica like it was a ticking time bomb.

"Hey, you," Angelica tried to sound pleasant as she placed Aaron's phone to her ear.

"Annie?" Alexander's voice was panicked. "Are you okay? Do you want me to come home? I can come home right now."

"Don't be stupid. I'm fine," Angelica tried to reassure him. "I just felt a little off and decided that it would probably be wise to work from home. I'll see you when you get home from work tonight, okay?"

"Annie," Alexander did not sound convinced.

"Stay where you are," Angelica's tone was firm this time. "I need you to finish that set of speech edits more than I need you here."

"Okay," Alexander sighed. "But I want you to call me if you need anything."

"Of course," Angelica agreed easily.

"And no more lunch dates with Aaron until I can determine whether or not he's been poisoning you," Alexander sounded like he was only half-kidding.

"He's not," Angelica rolled her eyes.

"Hm," Alexander disagreed. "I'll see you tonight, then. Hang in there, okay?"

"Okay," Angelica smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too," She could heard the smile in his voice. It was enough to cause a smile of her own to bloom on her lips. "Bye."

As she hung up the phone and returned it to Aaron, Angelica's smile evaporated. Aaron was trembling. Angelica didn't know if it was from anger or nerves, and frankly, she didn't care. He was not holding up well under the weight of the secret and that worried her.

"You have to tell him," He insisted between clenched teeth. "I can't walk around the office and see him every day and pretend that I don't know about this…this… _thing_. He's going to find out eventually, and when he does, he's going to kill me for helping you keep it from him."

Angelica raised an eyebrow. "Why is this bothering you so much? Haven't you ever kept a secret before?"

"Of course I have," Aaron exclaimed irritably. "I found Jefferson's Wedding Board on Pinterest in high school and was able to go without telling anybody. This is more than a secret, Angelica. This is like some life-ruining bomb. You can't expect me to just walk around and act normal about it!"

"Wait…Thomas has a Pinterest?" The smile returned.

"Yes, and it's just as amazing and embarrassing as it sounds, but that's _not the point_." Aaron hissed.

"If I promise to tell Alex when the time is right, will you show it to me?" Angelica asked with a hopeful smile.

"Fine," Aaron sighed, plopping down on the couch beside Angelica and typing a username into the search bar on Pinterest. In seconds, a profile popped up for Thomas. It was under a pseudo name, but it was obvious from the things he pinned and the comments he made, that this was unquestionably his.

"Oh, my god," Angelica's eyes lit up. "This just made my entire afternoon."

"Yeah, well, don't enjoy it too much," Aaron stood up and approached the front door. "I have to get back to work, where Alexander is probably assembling a small crew to make you soup. Think about how you're going to tell him, would you?"

"Sure, sure," Angelica waved him off, fixated on the Pinterest account.

Aaron sighed as he walked out the door.


	15. Chapter 15

"Aaron Burr is running for senator! Do you hear me? _Aaron Burr_ is running against your father to be the senator of _goddamn New York_."

"Who is it?" Thomas mouthed to Angelica from the kitchen, glancing down at the pancakes on the griddle to make sure that he did not burn them in a moment of distraction.

Angelica rolled her eyes. Like he didn't know. Alexander had FaceTimed her as soon as the news broke.

"You're getting worked up for nothing, Alex," She reluctantly looked down at her screen, where Alexander was holding his phone too close to his reddened face to the point where she could only really see the bridge of his nose and two small slivers of his eyes. It was for the best, though. One clear view of Alexander might ruin the progress that she had made in the past twenty-four hours. "My father has been in the Senate for ages. It's about time someone else had a chance."

"I told you that she wouldn't care as much as you do," Eliza's gloating voice flowed through the speakers. "No one cares about anything as much as you do, my dear."

Alexander ignored her, still scowling. "How can you say that? If Aaron wins, the Federalists will lose the majority and George's numbers will tank just before the primaries! All of our progress could be lost!"

"I think that you're giving Aaron a little more credit than he deserves," Angelica sighed. "And anyway, I don't know what you expect me to do about it. I'm with a news station - we're not exactly supposed to be partisan."

"Oh, stop with the fucking semantics - you're working at CNN. You're on our team. Now, what are we going to do about Aaron Burr?" Alexander was in no mood for niceties.

"We're not going to do anything, Alex," Angelica shrugged. She was so focused on looking at her phone that she didn't notice Thomas walking right through the background wearing nothing but a bathrobe and holding a plate of pancakes. Alexander, though, he noticed. As his eyes widened and he shifted the angle of his phone, Angelica glanced back to see what had captured his attention. When she saw Thomas smiling back at her apologetically, she stood up and walked out onto the patio.

"Alex…" She sighed, feeling the unfathomable need to justify herself.

"I, uh, I think I should go," Alexander's expression changed. He was no longer enraged; he was uncomfortable and cagey.

"No, Alex, you don't -"

"I'll talk to you later, Angelica," It was the first time that Alexander hadn't used her preferred pet name in ages. Angelica tried not to think about how much that stung. "Bye."

"Bye," Angelica sighed as Alexander disappeared from sight.

"So, how is Hamilton?" Thomas asked in a mockingly curious tone.

Angelica just glowered at him.

* * *

"Good luck on your first day, Angie," Church had insisted on driving Angelica to work in honor of her first day, despite her constant stream of protests. He'd had to bring Johnny along, which meant that Angelica had to cover every inch of her suit with towels and trash bags to ensure that her imp of a child did not choose her first day at CNN to throw up all over her clothes. "You're going to be great."

"I'm just doing a small puff piece on a corgi race in North Carolina." Angelica reminded him, unable to help smiling.

"And I'm going to record every second of it," Church grinned unabashedly. "We'll watch it tonight once Johnny is asleep. How about veal parmesan for dinner?"

Angelica turned around to look at Johnny, who was currently asleep in his little car seat. Her fears of him projectile vomiting everywhere were momentarily parlayed. She turned back around to look at Church. "Mm. My favorite."

"I know that it is," Church seemed to know everything about Angelica. Angelica suspected that he kept a five-subject notebook on him at all times, with a running list of every fact that she ever disclosed about herself. "It'll give you something to look forward to when you're interviewing the winner of the corgi race. My money's on Pancake, by the way."

"I'm leaving," Angelica laughed, starting for the car door.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Church scolded, locking the door before she could successfully open it. The childproof locks forced Angelica to remain in the now-locked car. The sound also jolted Johnny, who began to make suspicious noises that were sometimes a precursor to projectile vomiting, but was sometimes just a false alarm. Church glanced back at Johnny nervously before leaning across the gear shift and placing his arm on the space between Angelica's seat and head-rest, nullifying the chance of Johnny's possible vomit reaching her. "I love you."

"I love you too," Angelica smiled, leaning in to kiss Church. "Now, please let me out so that I can find out definitively if Pancake wins."

"Of course," Church unlocked the door with a grin. "Knock 'em dead."

"Goodbye," Angelica rolled her eyes as she escaped the confines of the car.

* * *

"Angelica Church?" There was a young man waiting for Angelica in her dressing room.

Angelica quirked an eyebrow. "Yes?"

The young man smiled. "I'm John Quincy Adams, your new assistant!"

"Don't I know your father?" Angelica demanded. She was fairly certain that she had seen John Adams walking in and out of George's office during interviews to find a running mate. John Quincy was John Adams' son, which he never let anyone forget about. Not even Church was as proud a father as John Adams.

"Yes," John Quincy's face reddened a little bit. "But please, don't treat me any differently because of that, good or bad."

"You got it, kiddo," Angelica said amusedly, plopping in her makeup chair. "So, tell me what you know about the corgi races."

"Uh…" John Quincy looked just as embarrassed as Angelica was to cover the ridiculous story. "I know that there's corgis. And they're…racing."

A knock on the door interrupted John Quincy's subpar analysis. Angelica started for it, but John Quincy hurried forward. "I'm the assistant, remember?"

"Yeah, about that," Angelica walked past John Quincy to open the door. She didn't look at who could possibly be standing there, prioritizing giving John Quincy instructions first. "I want you to research the history of corgis. Everything. I want to know what they were bred for, if there have been any famous corgis throughout civilization, and I want to know the average speed of corgis compared to other dogs, both larger and smaller. Anything else you can think of, look it up. I want it condensed to a one-page summary by lunch. If we're going to do this stupid piece, we're going to do it correctly. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Mrs. Church." John Quincy looked startled. He obviously didn't expect Angelica to take this piece as seriously as she was.

"That Pancake is getting a lot of buzz, huh?" The voice at the door had an unmistakable element of mischief. It could only be…

"Alex," Angelica turned away from John Quincy, struggling to maintain a neutral expression as her assistant scurried away. "What are you doing here?"

"I, uh," Alexander looked around before shepherding Angelica further inside of her dressing room, allowing him to close the door behind them. He licked his lips and folded his arm across his chest. "I don't think that you should be spending so much time with Jefferson. I think that he's not a great person to associate with, especially now that your career is so public, and -"

"Alex," Angelica cut him off. "We're not talking about Thomas."

"Annie, he's not a good person." It wasn't difficult to shatter Alexander's self-control. "Anyone can see it. And you've got Church and you've got Johnny. I don't see why you need to -"

"I think that you should leave," Angelica folded her arms across her chest.

"No, wait," Alexander protested as Angelica approached the door. Angelica turned to look at him expectantly. "That's not…I didn't come here to argue with you. I just wanted to tell you that I have an extra ticket to my graduation, if you want to go."

Eliza had mentioned that Alexander would soon be graduating law school. Angelica had been wondering if she would be joining her sister at the ceremony; she had been hoping that she would not be asked. Attending high school graduation with him had been difficult enough.

The look on Alexander's face, though, it made it impossible for Angelica to say no. He was looking at her apologetically, knowing that he was at fault for her unwillingness to attend. The small, downward curve of his lips let her know that he would not blame her for not wanting to attend - in fact, it let her know that he did not expect her to attend in the first place. His eyes, practically glued to the floor, suggested that Eliza had forced him to ask her if she would go.

"When is it?" Angelica asked, forcing herself to sound good-natured.

"Next month. Uh…December 15th," Alexander looked up, not bothering to hide his surprise.

Angelica frowned. Thomas was hosting some ridiculous dinner party that same night. It was his way of making the holiday season less lonely. He'd talked about it incessantly the night before. He had even gone so far as to recommend a specific dress for Angelica. Angelica suspected that she would find it on his Pinterest board when she looked next.

But this was Alexander's law school graduation. Surely Thomas would understand that it was more important than a dinner party. In fact, he could just reschedule the party.

"I'll be there." Angelica told Alexander, forcing a smile.

"Really?" Alexander smiled back hesitantly. "You know that you don't have to…"

"Of course I'm going to come to your graduation, Alex," Angelica shook her head. "Just tell Eliza to text me with the details on how we're getting there. I don't want to have to fight off traffic on my way to Columbia."

"You got it, Annie," Alexander's entire demeanor brightened. "I'll get you a ticket as soon as possible."

"Mrs. Church, I have a history of corgis," John Quincy rushed back into the dressing room, waving a sheet of paper in the air. He looked at Alexander apologetically as he realized that he might have been interrupting something. "Oh, I'm sorry. Someone told me that your guest had left. Would you like me to…"

"No, that's fine," Angelica couldn't help but laugh as she took the sheet of paper from John Quincy. "Alex, I'll see you for dinner next week. We'll talk about your graduation then. Ask Eliza to make fish, would you?"

"You got it, Annie," Alexander chuckled, heading for the door and opening the door. "Good luck with your newscast."

Angelica smiled after him, her smile only fading when he closed the door behind him.

"So, I noticed that corgis tend to try to shepherd, which makes me think that they'll be distracted by the numerous other corgis during this race…" John Quincy laid into his summary the moment that they were left alone; apparently, he had taken Angelica's serious attitude and run with it.

"Mhm," Angelica vaguely listened as she pulled her phone from her makeup table and searched for the running text conversation that she had with Thomas.

 **Can't make the dinner party next week. Sorry!**

She didn't wait for Thomas' response. She just turned to look at John Quincy again, running through the summary sheet that he had written in preparation of the newscast.

* * *

 _Fuck_. If Alexander had looked cute in his graduation robes in high school, he looked damn near devastating in his robes now. He sitting in the small crowd of law school graduates in some stadium that the law school had reserved for the ceremony. He was leaning back in his chair, talking and laughing with everyone surrounding him. He looked just like he had in high school, when he was little more than a guy that Angelica had only spoken to a handful of times.

"Are you sure that John doesn't mind watching the boys?" Eliza didn't seem to feel the same nostalgia for high school Alexander that Angelica did. Instead, she was fretting over the fact that she and Angelica had left Church to babysit Johnny and Philip for the day.

"I'm sure," Angelica couldn't tear her eyes away from Alexander. Just another reason to be grateful that Church had stayed home. "He loves the boys. I'm sure he'd rather spend the day with them instead of sitting through a five-hour ceremony."

"I'm sure he doesn't miss this," Eliza glanced over at George, who was frowning at the camera flashes surrounding him. Though he had done everything that he could to keep the press away, it seemed that a few people had scored tickets solely for the purpose of photographing him and Alexander throughout the ceremony. "Alexander is probably furious."

Angelica finally looked away from Alexander, looking at Eliza like she was crazy. Had she even glanced at her husband? Alexander was too excited to notice much. He was practically vibrating with excitement as he squirmed in his seat, talking to the lucky girl sitting next to him. He fidgeted with his cap, which was pushing most of his hair into his eyes. It was far more likely that Eliza was furious, and was just conveying her anger onto Alexander.

"He'll be fine," Angelica decided not to question it too much. "The ceremony won't last too long, and then we'll be back in the comfort of our own homes without anyone around looking for pictures."

"Well, I'll want pictures," Eliza admitted, smiling abashedly. "After all, I did help that man through law school."

"Yeah, but I doubt that you'll be submitting them to any local political papers," Angelica teased her.

Eliza just laughed. "It depends how good I look in them."

The ceremony lasted forever, but Angelica didn't mind. It was a free opportunity to stare at Alexander without anyone noticing. He looked so different than he had in high school. His baby face had morphed into a strong, adult face with a sharp jawline and angular features. His slight form had filled out into a bulkier, more muscular figure. He no longer looked around in askance, silently begging for any form of validation that anyone had to offer; everything about him radiated quiet, confident brilliance. His eyes, though. They looked the exact same. They were a bright shade of azure - just nearing the purple side - and they were afire.

When the ceremony ended, Angelica forced herself into the backseat of Alexander and Eliza's car, squeezing into the close quarters beside Alexander. Eliza, being the martyr that she was, had agreed to drive. She watched with trusting amusement as Angelica stole Alexander's graduation cap and placed it atop her own head, asking him a thousand questions about the keynote address during the ceremony.

"And what about the press?" Eliza asked as they neared the Schuyler mansion, where they would be meeting their parents, the Washingtons, and Church for a celebratory lunch.

"I actually didn't think that they were too bad," Alexander responded thoughtfully, not looking away from where Angelica was still modeling his cap. "Blessedly, Jefferson was holding some stupid dinner party that the news was more focused on. Apparently, he's trying to rally his fanbase to see what his odds are if he runs for president when he's thirty-five."

"Really?" It was the first time that Angelica had been reminded of Thomas' dinner party since she had sent him a text telling him that she would no longer be able to attend. He had never responded to her text. She felt a pang of sudden guilt. "How do you know that?"

"Aaron Burr was bragging about being invited," Alexander responded, rolling his eyes. "The news got out pretty quickly."

"Here we are!" Their arrival at the Schuyler mansion cut the conversation off before it ventured into dangerous territory. For that, Angelica was grateful. "Oh, look! John dressed Philip up!"

As Angelica climbed out of the car, she saw that Church had dressed Philip in a little graduation outfit exactly like Alexander's. While this was a cute thing to do, it also deprived her of Alexander straight away. He practically ran from her side to take Philip from Church's arms, cooing about how adorable the toddler looked in his cap and gown.

"How was it?" Church didn't seem to mind that Alexander had spoken to Philip instead of him. He just grinned at Angelica as she approached.

Angelica tried to smile. "Long."

"I bet," Church chuckled, picking up Johnny, who was trying to eat some of the gravel from the driveway. "Well, lunch is ready whenever you're hungry."

"Mama!" Taken from the distraction of the gravel, Johnny realized that Angelica was present. Church smiled sheepishly and handed Johnny to Angelica. Angelica's smile grew strained as she took on the role of a good mother instead of a guilty woman who had forgone a dinner party with her illicit lover in order to attend the graduation of her sister's husband - who she happened to be desperately in love with. It was exhausting.

"Hey, you," She supported Johnny's weight with her hip as she walked into the mansion. As she walked towards the kitchen, she saw that Martha had taken Philip from Alexander and was forcing George to help her stage a photoshoot for the poor toddler. "How was your day with Daddy?"

"Uncle Alex!" Johnny's attention span was not quite up to par yet.

Alexander looked away from the photoshoot and grinned when he saw Johnny reaching out for him. He approached Angelica, not looking away from Johnny. "Hey, kiddo! Annie, Martha stole mine. Mind if I borrow yours?"

"By all means," Angelica couldn't help but laugh as Alexander scooped up Johnny and plopped him down on the floor near the small pile of toys that Church had brought from their house.

"He's such a good father," Eliza sighed, suddenly materializing behind Angelica.

Angelica jumped at the sudden realization of her sister's presence, but quickly recovered. "It does look that way. Although, I don't know if a good father would let Martha take so many embarrassing pictures in one day. Philip is going to be mortified when you show those to his fiancé in twenty-five years."

Eliza laughed. "Don't say twenty-five - that's too soon! I need at least thirty years with my baby boy before I let someone else take him from me."

"We both got married young," Angelica reminded Eliza playfully. "It's only a matter of time before marriage comes for him, too."

Eliza swatted Angelica's arm. "Just let me enjoy my time with him, would you? Surely you're not thinking about Johnny walking down the aisle just yet."

Angelica just smiled and shook her head, unable to look away from where Alexander was playing with Johnny. She couldn't help but wonder what her life might have been like, had she told Eliza that she wanted him back in high school. It might have been their child that he was playing with on the kitchen floor. A little baby boy with lavender eyes, just like his father. She shivered, realizing just how wildly inappropriate her daydreaming was.

Philip's wailing snapped her back into reality.

"Oh, Martha, let me take him," Eliza bolted across the kitchen to scoop Philip up the moment the crying began. "He just gets a little bit fussy when he's overstimulated."

Angelica seized the opportunity that was placed in front of her, with both Eliza and Philip distracting one another. She sat between Alexander and Johnny, narrowly resisting the urge to scoot closer to Alexander.

"He's a great kid," Alexander noticed her without turning his head. He still focused on Johnny, who was building a tower out of building blocks. "I can't believe how much he's talking. He's, what? Eight months?"

"Just about," Angelica agreed, also watching Johnny.

"He's got his mother's brain," Alexander chuckled, low and deep. Angelica tried to focus on his words instead of the way that he was saying them. "And her looks too. He's one lucky kid."

Angelica laughed and shook her head, brushing her hair away as it spilled into her face. "I hope he doesn't have my brain. Otherwise, he'll be setting fires everywhere he goes for the rest of his life. And speaking of fires…how is life at the office?"

She was trying to change the topic to something more neutral - George's office. It was less dangerous to talk about work than it was to talk about children and appearance. Angelica did not trust herself not to lure Alexander into her fantasy of what their child would look like.

Alexander smiled slightly. "You should have been there when George found out that Aaron was running for senator. Jefferson called Martha because he was afraid that George was having a heart attack."

"You know, I'm helping cover election day," Angelica told Alexander with a playful smile. "If Aaron wins, I'll probably have to go to his party."

"They wouldn't make you cover that," Alexander protested. "Why wouldn't they make you cover the presidential election? You know that you can get priority interviews."

"I think they're saving that for the MVPs," Angelica reminded him, laughing. "I just got off of corgi races."

"I can't believe that Pancake lost," Alexander contributed with a loud, fake sigh.

"Anyway," Angelica rolled her eyes. "You should prepare for the appalling sight of me congratulating Aaron Burr. I've already talked to my father about it. He's promised that he won't press charges."

"Well, I won't like it," Alexander's smile didn't fade as he turned to look at Angelica. "But I'll stomach it. Just tell him not to brag too much, would you?"

"You got it," Angelica giggled, leaning forward to keep Johnny from knocking over the tower that he had so carefully built.

* * *

After the celebration, which ended at nearly midnight, Angelica told Church that she needed to meet with Quincy to go over his summary for her latest newscast. In reality, Quincy had sent her the summary that morning, which she had reviewed when she wasn't starting at Alexander during the ceremony. She was really going to meet Thomas at Monticello. He didn't know that she was coming, exactly, but Angelica figured that if she couldn't go to his dinner party, she could at least meet him for a drink in the middle of the night.

When she pulled up in his driveway and saw that all of the lights in his house were off, she began to consider that Thomas might not be happy to see her. She slowly approached the front door, locking her car twice in the hopes that the sound would cause Thomas to come to the door, then resigned to ringing the doorbell when it did not.

It took about ten seconds for Angelica to hear any movement in the house after she rang the doorbell. It took another twenty seconds for the door to creak open, revealing Thomas' frowning face.

"Hey," Angelica tried to smile despite the fact that Thomas was making it abundantly clear that he was not pleased to see her. "Look at you, Mr. Tuxedo. You look great."

Thomas didn't engage. He just skulked back into the house, leaving the front door open for Angelica to either enter or close. Angelica followed after him, frowning and trying to think of some way to apologize without actually apologizing.

There was a massive wine glass and a bottle of wine stationed beside the glass on the coffee table of his living room. His laptop was tossed carelessly on his sofa. Angelica could see the monitor - he was on Facebook, looking at the pictures of Alexander's graduation that Eliza had posted.

Okay, so he was still mad about the dinner party. That was…understandable.

"Tom, I'm sorry about -"

"I had a date tonight," Thomas didn't wait for the end of Angelica's apology. He stood in front of her, his wiry arms folded across his chest. "With Patcy Skelton. She actually canceled her plans to be here."

"That's good, Tom," Angelica responded carefully.

"She offered to stay and help me clean up," Thomas continued like he hadn't heard her. "I know what she was really offering. I should have asked her to stay. But I didn't. Do you know why?"

"Well, Patcy Skelton is kind of -"

"Because of you, Angelica," Thomas was in no mood for jokes. "Because for some stupid fucking reason, I felt like I was being disloyal to you. I actually avoided taking pictures with Patcy because I was afraid that you would see them! And then I saw these," He pointed to his laptop monitor and the picture of Alexander and Angelica posing for a picture that was pulled up on it. "And I felt like the biggest goddamn fool in the world. Why am I putting my life on hold when you will never even consider me so long as Hamilton is around? What the hell am I waiting for?"

"I don't know, Thomas. What do you want me to say?"

"You know that he doesn't love you, right?" Thomas wasn't listening to a damn thing that Angelica was saying. "If he loved you, he would have chosen you over your sister. He will never love you."

"Thomas," Angelica warned him, feeling tears pricking at her eyes. "You're being unfair."

"I'm being unfair?" Thomas finally heard her. He let out a humorless laugh. "Angelica, you are ruining your life for a man who doesn't even love you. Meanwhile, there are dozens of men lined up, all of whom would adore you and strive to make your life better at every chance you get. Why won't you just choose one of them? I'm not even talking about myself. Your husband, he's a great man. He loves you more than life itself. If you would only treat him like someone you love instead of someone you merely accept…" He let out a frustrated sigh, shaking his head. "You're pushing away happiness with both hands at every chance you get, Angelica. Why?"

"I don't know," Angelica was barely fighting back tears, now. "Does that make you feel better, Tom? I don't know why I do this - I just can't help it."

"You should go," Thomas looked her over with an expression nearing disgust. "Goodnight, Angelica."

He ascended the stairs, leaving Angelica blinded by her own tears at the doorway.

 **Rewind**

"We can't afford it, Alex," Angelica reminded Alexander for the umpteenth time, closing out of Zillow before Alexander left another comment for their real estate agent.

"We can afford the minimum payment," Alexander reminded her, swiveling in his chair and grinning at her hopefully.

Angelica rolled her eyes. "We would spend the next fifty years paying off the interest alone."

"You're forgetting that I'm going to be in the president's cabinet," Alexander huffed. "I'll be making more money then."

"That's assuming that George will win," Angelica glanced over at Aaron, who had just entered the office for the morning, before shaking her head at Alexander again. "And even if he does win, then I'm out of the job, which means that we have to subsist off of your paycheck alone. Even if we wanted it, we can't afford it right now."

"Oh, good, you finally told him," Aaron let out a sigh of relief as he plopped down at his desk. "I didn't think that you would actually do it."

Angelica's heart dropped.

Alexander turned to look at her strangely. "Told me what?"

"About the abortion," Aaron was too focused on checking his emails to read the room. When there was a considerable pause following his answer, he looked up uncertainly. Seeing the expression on both Angelica and Alexander's respective faces, he frowned. "I mean…about the, uh…"

"Abortion?" Alexander didn't seem aware that Aaron was still talking. "Annie, what the hell is going on?"

Angelica glowered at Aaron as he slunk out of the office. "Alex, it's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal?" Alexander echoed, his voice rising angrily. "Angelica, this is a big fucking deal!"

"Alex, you're -"

"When?"

"What?"

"When did it happen?" Alexander demanded through gritted teeth.

"Just a few days ago," Angelica huffed. "If you would just let me explain what happened, I could -"

"Was that what you were doing when Aaron told me that you were too sick to come back to the office after you had lunch?" Alexander hadn't gotten this far by being stupid. "You told Aaron, but you didn't tell me? What the fuck, Angelica?"

The fact that he was using her full name was not a great sign.

"I knew that you would act like this!" Angelica answered, gesturing towards Alexander's bright-red face. "I knew that you wouldn't accept that it wasn't your decision to make. It's my body, Alex. I get to decide what happens to it!"

"It was my fucking child!" Alexander's voice was breaking decibels. "You don't get to decide what you do with that!"

"We couldn't have afforded it!" Angelica shouted back, no longer concerned about being surrounded by colleagues. "What was I supposed to do? Let you convince yourself that we could somehow afford a new house, a baby, and food? Even if we could - we don't have any time. I suppose that you would have asked me to put my career on hold to compensate for that?"

"You could have talked to me!" Alexander was livid.

"Would it have made a difference?" Angelica folded her arms across her chest, glaring at him coolly.

"I would hope so," Alexander insisted. "Annie, that was our baby."

His voice cracked. The look on his face made Angelica suddenly fear that he might begin crying.

" _Ahem_ ," The sound of George clearing his throat burst the façade of intimacy that Angelica and Alexander had created for themselves. They both turned around to look at the entryway of Angelica's office.

It was then that Angelica remembered that she had scheduled an interview with a prominent newspaper for that very morning. And, sure enough, there were two strangers standing behind George, one holding a tape recorder and the other a notepad and pen.

Alexander looked at Angelica, silently blaming her for the consequences that would surely follow.

The audio clip of Angelica and Alexander's screaming match went viral overnight. Angelica started receiving hate mail from pro-life organizations while receiving invitations to speak from pro-choice organizations. Alexander, meanwhile, was turned into a meme. One particular picture of him screaming during the argument was plastered all over the internet. It had been featured on more than a few TV shows. Alexander was beside himself. There was nothing that he hated more than being laughed at.

The publicized argument did reap one positive reward: Eliza saw it from France and took the first flight home.

* * *

Angelica heard a knock on the front door of their rental home in the middle of the night. She woke with a start, reflexively reaching over to Alexander's side of the bed. He was not there - he had taken to sleeping on the couch in the living room since finding out about Angelica's abortion. As Angelica plopped back down onto the mattress, she heard the sound of his feet padding across the floor towards the front door. From there, there was the sound of the deadbolt being turned followed by Alexander's muffled voice. Angelica couldn't make out who he was speaking to, but judging from his tone, it was a friend.

There was a lull in the conversation. Angelica listened carefully, wondering if they were whispering. Her curiosity was put to rest when she heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Whoever it was, they were coming to see her. These were not Alexander's deliberate, obnoxiously loud footsteps. They were lighter, more graceful.

"Angelica!" Eliza burst through the door without knocking.

The sight of her reduced Angelica to a pile of tears. "Eliza."

"I came as soon as I could," Eliza crawled into bed beside Angelica, wrapping her arms around her sister and pulling her close. "But only for the night. I have a flight back to Barcelona in the morning - I'm hosting a party tomorrow evening. I would stay if I could."

"It's already more than I would have asked for," Angelica sighed with relief. "Thank you for coming. This has all been…a nightmare. Did Alex say anything to you? How does he seem? He hasn't spoken to me since…well, you know."

Eliza shook her head. "I'm not sure. I came straight up. Things between you haven't gotten any better?"

Angelica shook her head. "I think that he hates me."

"He couldn't hate you," Eliza protested. "I have never met a man more in love with his wife than Alexander."

Angelica shook her head again, tears spilling from her eyes. "I really think he might divorce me over this. I overheard him talking to Lafayette on the phone about it. What if he leaves me? I don't know what I would do without him."

Eliza didn't hide her surprise. "What do you mean? You're Angelica! You're the bravest person that I know - with or without a man."

"How do you know that?" Angelica asked miserably. "I've never been without a man before."

"I just know," Eliza insisted firmly. "Now, we're going to stay up and come up with a plan for you, okay? We're going to come up with a plan for how you're going to talk to Alexander tomorrow morning, and what you're going to do if he isn't interested in reconciling. And in the meantime, you are going to stop crying. It isn't helping anything."

It was the first time that Eliza had ever told Angelica what to do.

* * *

Eliza left before the sun broke the morning sky. Both Angelica and Alexander offered to drive her to the airport, but she was adamant that she take a taxi. Angelica knew that it was Eliza's way of forcing her to talk to Alexander.

But Angelica was quickly finding that Eliza was secretly the bravest of the three Schuyler sisters. While Eliza threw her small backpack into the taxi to return to her grand European adventure, Angelica remained in her room and pretended to be asleep. She did not feel ready to speak to him just yet.

Then again, though, Alexander had never been one to wait around for the perfect time.

Angelica heard his footsteps on the stairs just an hour after Eliza's departure. They were not as purposeful as they usually were. They were slow, dragging, and heavy.

He opened the door without hesitation. "Annie, we need to talk."

His tone did not allow Angelica any hope that this conversation would be a pleasant one.

Angelica pulled the covers away from her face to look up at Alexander piteously.

Alexander sat down on the edge of their bed and allowed his lips to quirk into something resembling a smile. Angelica sat up a bit, not daring to hope that the smile was a sign that their marriage was salvageable.

"I think that it's about time we got out in front of this horse, isn't it?" He asked, his voice straining towards laughter. "So, let's figure this out. What the hell are we going to do?"

Angelica shrugged, venturing a small smile.

Alexander ran a hand through his hair, looking at the painting hanging over their bed. Angelica had bought it for his birthday, but had a hunch that he didn't particularly like it. After a few minutes of staring at it, Alexander refocused his gaze on Angelica. "Have you stopped getting so much publicity?"

"Not really," Angelica sighed.

Alexander nodded. "Then it might be best to take you off George's campaign; save you the big-time publicity. David has another job lined up for you next term, doesn't he? Running some governor's campaign?"

"Alex, we can't afford -" Angelica shook her head.

"Yes, we can," Alexander insisted. "You're getting a salary - you aren't paid hourly. If you cut out a few weeks earlier, you're still going to get paid the same amount. If you really care, I'm sure that David or George would send you things to do from home. I just don't think that it will be good for either you or George to continue on with your current position. All of his press conferences are going to turn into a circus when a reporter inevitably asks you about the video, and other politicians are going to be reluctant to hire you in the future when they see that."

"What about you?" Angelica persisted. "Why don't you have to leave? They're going to bother you, too."

"I know," Alexander agreed, shrugging. "But I don't care if my reputation suffers for it. After serving as the Secretary of the Treasury, I could retire and become a college professor, a financial advisor…or I could just practice law. I don't need the high opinion of politicians. Besides, I'm not in the spotlight nearly as much as you are."

Angelica rolled her eyes. That last part was a total lie. There was an entire Twitter account dedicated to pictures of Alexander doing everyday activities called "Hamilton Does Things". It was one of the five Twitter accounts that she checked daily.

"Alex -"

"We don't have to," Alexander hastened to say. "If you want to stay on the campaign, we'll figure it out. I'm only trying to think about this strategically."

"Okay," Angelica knew that Alexander was right - staying on George's campaign in such a public position would not be good for her career. She just hated to leave the best job that she had ever had. "I'll hand in a letter of resignation tomorrow."

Alexander nodded, standing up from the bed with a heavy sigh. "Let me know if you need any help writing it."

"Wait," Angelica protested indignantly. "We're not done."

"We're not?" Alexander turned around, surprised.

Angelica frowned at him. The man was brilliant and stupid, all at once. He looked as though he was completely oblivious to the fact that there was an issue beyond Angelica's career path. "Alex, this is the first time we've spoken since…"

Alexander cleared his throat before Angelica could think of a delicate way of phrasing it. He was looking down at his shoes, his ears reddening. He obviously did not want to have this discussion.

"I understand that you're angry," Angelica's eyebrows furrowed as she struggled to remember the speech that she and Eliza had worked on earlier in the evening. "But you owe it to me to decide if you're going to let that anger ruin this marriage or not."

"Ruin this marriage?" Alexander looked genuinely surprised. "Annie, what the hell are you talking about?"

"I know that you were talking to Lafayette about a divorce," Angelica tried not to sound like she was accusing him. It was hard, given that she was accusing him. "I heard you on the phone with him the other night. If you want to get a divorce, I would rather you just come out and say it instead of -"

Alexander let out a loud sigh. It was his "people are so stupid" sigh. Angelica tried her best not to let herself get too offended by this.

"Laf is divorcing Adrienne," He explained impatiently. "He initially called me after seeing the video on the Today Show and mentioned it. He's really torn up about it. I was just trying to help."

Angelica hadn't known that the video of their argument had aired on the Today Show. She also didn't know that the Today Show existed in France. She shook her head; neither of those were of any importance at the moment.

"So, you don't want to divorce me?" Angelica asked hesitantly.

Alexander shook his head, sitting back on the bed. "No, Annie. I don't want to divorce you."

They were quiet for a moment. Alexander looked thoughtful. Angelica was basking in relief. But silence was not something that either of them were particularly good at, so it was only a matter of time before Angelica spoke up again.

"Aren't you going to ask me if I want to divorce you?"

"What?" Alexander turned to look at her fast enough to make his neck crack.

"I don't, obviously," She ventured a small smile, hoping that Alexander would realize that she was trying to make a joke. "I just don't want you getting too comfortable."

Alexander let out another sigh, this time dissolving into chuckles. "Jesus, Annie. I thought that you were serious."

"Not quite," Angelica scooted closer to him on the bed, linking her arm through his and resting her head on his shoulder. It felt like home; somewhere that she hadn't been in far too long. "I missed you."

Alexander relaxed into her touch, pressing his lips against the side of her head. "I missed you, too."

Angelica smiled, nestling her head closer to his neck. She was fully content to sit there in silence for roughly a minute before coming up with something else that needed discussing.

"Why is Lafayette divorcing Adrienne?"

Alexander laughed, shaking his head. "He says that he met someone else. Must be a knockout, if he's getting a divorce for her."

"Are you jealous?" Angelica asked teasingly. "Do you ever think that maybe you should be looking for some French woman to take my place?"

Alexander just laughed, pressing another kiss to the top of her head. "You know I wouldn't last a day without you, Annie."

* * *

George accepted Angelica's letter of resignation with just as much grace and poise as both she and Alexander had expected. David set to work arranging for Angelica to join a governor's campaign - a last-minute addition to a team that had just lost their deputy campaign manager. The campaign was for the governor of Idaho, but Angelica was able to work from home most days.

She brought Aaron with her to the would-be governor's campaign. David didn't have much use for him, especially not after the Federalist Society's nomination, and the new campaign actually had room in their budget to pay him. It wasn't too hard to convince him to join her.

Alexander expressed his displeasure at Angelica's continued friendship with Aaron - understandably, he did not like that Angelica confided in Aaron before she confided in him - but Aaron was a valuable employee and Angelica did not want to work on a campaign in which she did not know a single person and had no allies at staff meetings.

Things were starting to look up for Angelica and Alexander - Angelica's new job would pay her a little bit more, now that she wasn't taking a pay-cut for Aaron - and Alexander was staying locked up in the office, away from inappropriate questions asked at George's press conferences.

That upward trajectory was ruined when Aaron showed up to Angelica and Alexander's house in the middle of the day with an email from Thomas entitled "Schuyler Seat Up For Grabs".


	16. Chapter 16

"This just in," Angelica glanced at the screen. She saw the final results for the presidential primary and swallowed any reaction that she might have shown within the comforts of her own home. George had won the primaries. "The votes have been tallied for the Federalist Party. President Washington will be the Federalist candidate for this upcoming election cycle. For the Republicans, Governeur Morris."

"Thank you, Angelica," Anderson Cooper nodded at Angelica reassuringly. God, he was a great co-worker. "And for the New York Senate seat, we have Aaron Burr as our victor. I believe you're actually at Aaron Burr's party, is that correct?"

"It is," Angelica tried her best to smile, looking around at all of the slimy politicians filling the room. Aaron had really outdone himself this time. "It looks like Senator Burr is currently thanking his campaign workers for their dedication. If I were him, I would strongly be considering something more than a high-five. I saw those campaign posters five times a day on my commute alone."

It was a bad joke, but Anderson Cooper laughed like a god damn professional. "That's great, Angelica. We'll cut back to you for an interview with Senator Burr in a little while. Coming up next, the Senator for Maryland!"

Angelica allowed herself to relax as the red light on the camera dulled into gray. "Can I go?"

"Actually," The cameraman didn't look too happy, either. "We're supposed to stay for the rest of the party. You need to get an interview with the Senator, and Anderson wants to be able to cut to the party whenever there's a dry moment on camera."

"Are you kidding me?" Angelica stared at him in disbelief. "We have to stay here for the rest of the party? It sucks here."

"Angelica Church," Aaron Burr materialized just as Angelica was insulting his party. Go figure. "I can't say that I'm not surprised to see you here. Did CNN have to pay you extra to get you here?"

"Something like that." Angelica tried her best to remain civil.

"Well, I suppose it beats covering corgi races." Aaron supposed with an amused grin. God, he was such an asshole. "Come on, let's see about getting you a drink."

Angelica followed him, mostly because drinking was the only thing that she could imagine making the party better.

Unfortunately, Aaron seemed to think so, too. For each drink that Angelica had, he had three. He was falling apart by the end of the hour, sprawled on the couch alongside of Angelica, peering into her eyes in a way that made her skin crawl.

"Why didn't you like me?" He asked, his words slurred. "In high school, I mean. You liked everyone except for me. I mean, you dated Jefferson for fuckssake. Why wasn't I good enough for you?"

Angelica looked over at her cameraman desperately. He shook his head grimly. They couldn't leave yet.

"You were fine, Aaron. You just weren't my type." She tried to explain calmly, scooting away from him. Aaron scooted after her, not allowing her the distance that she so desperately craved. "There's nothing more to it. I only dated Thomas because he was my type. If you really think about it, you can't even call it dating. We only went out a handful of times. Church was the only guy that I seriously dated, and you of all people know that you are very different from Church."

"No," Aaron huffed. He moved off of the couch, crouching in front of Angelica, just at eye-level. "You know what I mean. I didn't need you to be my girlfriend. I just wish that you would have flirted with me like you flirted with the rest of the guys. Like Hamilton. Why did you always flirt with Hamilton but never me? You acted like you were repulsed by me. You're still acting like you're repulsed by me."

"I don't know, Aaron. What do you want me to say?" Angelica was getting irritated with this line of questioning. It was unfair of Aaron to ask her to justify her taste in men.

"I just - I just…" Before Angelica knew what was happening, Aaron started to lean forward. His dark eyes flickered closed. Angelica's own eyes widened in horror. Was he going to try to kiss her? Surely not. They were adults - far too old for this kind of behavior. She had a son, for goodness' sake!

But he was. Aaron's face was only a few inches from her own. Angelica had to act fast, or she would be in serious danger of being kissed without her consent. Judging from the number of reporters, journalists and politicians milling around the party, the lack of consent would not be reported in the rumors that would spread about Aaron kissing Angelica at his victory party. Everyone would hear it. Alexander would hear it.

So, Angelica acted without really thinking about the consequences that would follow. She pushed Aaron away from her with as much force as she could muster. In his drunken state, Aaron was in no position to recover his balance. Angelica's push sent him stumbling backward. He fell over into the glass coffee table sitting in front of the couch. The glass shattered beneath his weight.

" _Fuck_!" Aaron howled in pain.

"Oh, my god." Angelica leaped to her feet, looking at the cameraman in horror. He stared back at her with his big, dumb cow eyes, uncertain of what to do. "We're leaving. Harry, grab your stuff!"

"Are you sure?" The cameraman did as he was told while shakily protesting, looking like he just might cry. "Anderson said…"

"Anderson wasn't just assaulted," Angelica reminded him, hurrying over to help him pack his bags quickly. A crowd of people was beginning to form around Aaron. "Come on. I'll tell him that it was my choice when we get out of this hellhole."

* * *

"What do you mean _he tried to kiss you_?" When Alexander heard about the events of the night before, he was livid. Angelica suddenly regretted her decision to stay with them for the night. Their house was in DC - where Aaron lived - while her house was all the way back in New York. Still, she should have just booked a hotel.

"It's not a big deal, Alex." Angelica rolled her eyes, trying to focus on breakfast.

Eliza had been the one to tell him. Angelica had told Eliza about the ordeal the night before when asking for a band-aid for the cut on her arm that she had gotten from one of the shards of glass that had come from Aaron's coffee table. Angelica had made Eliza promise that she wouldn't say a word to Alexander, knowing that he would be dramatic about it. Eliza had betrayed her trust the moment that Alexander asked about the band-aid on Angelica. Angelica was not surprised.

"Not a big deal?" Alexander echoed incredulously. "Angelica, he tried to kiss you while you were working!"

"Alexander," Eliza had a way of singing his name that caused all of the tension in his shoulders to disappear. Angelica tried not to notice, mostly because she knew that she could never do such a thing. "No yelling in the house. You know what Angelica said - it upsets the baby."

Eliza and Alexander had been using Angelica as the leading source of authority in their household for years. Whenever they wanted to trump an argument, they would use the words "Angelica said…" and the other would accept Angelica's words as law. Angelica was strangely flattered by this.

"I know what Angelica said," Alexander agreed, lowering his voice just enough. He looked at Angelica through narrowed eyes. "Annie, tell me that you're not going to work with him again. He obviously has no moral compass whatsoever. He took advantage of you when -"

"Alex." Angelica cut him off before taking a bite of her breakfast. Eliza made the best pancakes. Alexander watched her impatiently as she chewed. When her mouth was clear again, she cast him a sardonic smile. "I'm a grown up. I can handle my own problems. I just read the news report this morning - Aaron's arm is broken. Don't you think that's enough to teach him his lesson?"

"You better not be in trouble for that." Alexander was not placated. "If he tries to sue you for assault, I'll represent you - free of charge."

"I'll let you know if I need an attorney who once called a judge a 'dumbass'."

"Yeah, let me know. I'll be around."

"Alex!" Eliza cut in with a giggle. "You didn't really do that, did you?"

"See what you did, now?" Alexander gestured to Eliza with his toast, grinning at Angelica. "I told you that in the strictest of confidences. You're going to get me in trouble."

"Then I suppose I'd better go before that happens," Angelica decided with a smile, bringing her empty dishes to the sink and grabbing her bag off of the back of her chair at the kitchen table.

"No, come on. You don't really have to leave." Alexander stood up, too.

"No, I really do." Angelica glanced down at her phone, which was ringing. Aaron was calling. She frowned before slipping it back into her pocket. "I have to stop by the DC news station to talk about last night before heading back to New York."

"Okay," Alexander sighed reluctantly, watching as Eliza stood up. "Let me know if you need me to get you out of trouble, okay?"

"Okay." Angelica rolled her eyes. Alexander was the last person that she would call if she was in trouble. He was more likely to make the situation worse than he was to make it better. "I'll see you guys when I'm in the area again. Tell Philip bye for me, will you?"

"Of course. Have a safe flight, Angie." Eliza pulled Angelica into a tight hug.

Angelica smiled at her, walking out of the front door and closing it behind her. Once out of the Hamilton household, Angelica pulled her phone out of her pocket and answered Aaron's current phone call. He'd been calling her non-stop for twenty minutes, it seemed.

"What do you want?" She asked in a low voice, climbing into her rental car. "If you're only calling to tell me that you're pressing charges, I -"

"I'm not pressing charges against you, Angelica." Aaron huffed impatiently. His tone of voice was a lot different when he was sober. It was rational. It was the voice of someone that Angelica might have liked, had things been different. "Look, I'm sorry about last night. It was completely inappropriate and out of character and I want to make it up to you."

"I'm sure that you do."

"I'm being honest." Aaron had the nerve to sound irritated. Angelica's upper lip curled in disgust, but she waited for what he had to say. "I'm offering you an exclusive interview with my family and I. Not just me - my wife and my daughter will be there, too. I'm not giving this opportunity to anyone else. Think of what it'll do for your career."

"What's the catch?" Angelica asked, her eyes narrowed.

An exclusive interview with Aaron and his family would be an incredible career opportunity; one she couldn't turn down without good cause.

"There's no catch. Well…not really. I'm trying to make up for what happened last night, but I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about it. I mean, I assume that you've told Hamilton, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone else, especially not someone who could crush me with it."

"You're bribing me to keep my mouth shut about your attempt at sexual assault, got it." Angelica rolled her eyes. "Does your wife know why she's going to be attending this interview?"

"No, and I'd prefer that we kept it that way."

"Make a donation to a women's shelter."

"What?"

"The interview is great, but I don't think that you realize the severity of your actions." Angelica loved being in a position of authority. "Make a donation to a women's shelter, or I'll bring the story to CNN. There are some people who would call for your resignation over something like this."

"Fine." Aaron snapped. "I'll make the fucking donation. Are we done? Can I trust that you won't try to ruin my career over a stupid, drunken moment?"

"How's your arm?" Angelica taunted.

"Try to show up for the interview on time. I'll have someone call your assistant with the information." Aaron snarked before hanging up. Angelica hung up her phone with a self-satisfied smirk.

* * *

"So Aaron offered me an exclusive interview and my boss all but died when I told him," Angelica explained pleasantly, looking around the dining room at Mount Vernon. "He tried to get one of the more senior people to cover it, but Aaron insisted that I do it."

"That's great," George remarked, smiling at Angelica encouragingly. "Good for Aaron, supporting one of his own."

"I really think that this will be your big break," Church added.

"Are you fucking _kidding_ me?" Alexander was the dark cloud among the dinner party. Angelica had expected it. She turned to look at him with reluctance.

"Language!" Martha chided.

"Sorry." Alexander apologized obligatorily before returning his disgruntled frown to Angelica. Angelica pretended not to notice, stabbing at her cooked carrots with her fork. "Annie, you're not seriously going to sit in a room with Burr again, are you? He fu - _fricking_ \- forced himself on you at his campaign party. Why the fu - _ugh_! - why the _heck_ would you subject yourself to him again? Is this CNN's doing?"

"What?" This was news to Church and Thomas. Both of them turned to look at Angelica unhappily.

" _Forced_ himself on you?" Church didn't seem to realize that it was odd for both Thomas and Alexander to be just as angry about Aaron's conduct as he was. "Angelica, why didn't you tell me?"

"He didn't force himself on me; he just tried to kiss me. Anyway, I didn't tell you because it wasn't a big deal." Angelica glowered at Alexander. He had no right to tell anybody about that. "And it won't happen again. This time I'll be interviewing his entire family - his wife and baby will be there. I doubt he'll try to kiss me when they're around."

"Angelica, I don't like this," Church admitted, frowning.

"I hate it." While Thomas was attempting to control his anger around Church, Alexander was letting loose. He was red-faced and scowling. "It's stupid. You don't need this for your career. You could interview anyone else. You could interview George."

"Well…" George's eyes narrowed as he looked at Alexander. It was obvious that he didn't approve of Alexander offering Angelica something that he didn't want to come through on. Angelica understood. He couldn't play favorites with the press.

"This isn't your decision," Angelica told both of them. She focused on Alexander - he was the one with the authority to dissuade her. "Either of you. This is going to be a good career move for me."

"Annie, you can't -"

"I agree." Thomas cringed like such an agreement left a bad taste in his mouth. "You can't condone this kind of behavior. The political capital that you could gain from reporting the story and insisting that CNN let you cover it would more than -"

"If I report him for trying to kiss me, no male politician would let me interview them ever again," Angelica said firmly. "I'm not prominent enough to claim that they're discriminating against me, so they would get away with insisting on someone else. CNN would fire me if I couldn't interview everyone I was slated to interview. This is the best possible outcome for me. He'll be fine. Again, I don't think that he'll do anything with his wife standing in the same room."

"Are you okay with this?" Alexander turned on Church like he had the authority to tell Angelica 'no'. Angelica's eyes narrowed. What an asshole. "You can't possibly be okay with this."

"What difference does it make?" Angelica's posture stiffened.

"Alex," Eliza finally chimed in, placing her small hand over Alexander's larger, ink-stained hand. "That's enough. If Angelica says that she can handle it, she can handle it."

"But I -"

"Why don't you tell everyone about Philip at the grocery store the other day? Do you remember what he said to the woman working at the bakery?" Eliza cut him off with that politely forceful manner that she had inherited from Mrs. Schuyler.

"I don't…" It was clear from Alexander's expression that he was not done objecting to Angelica's career move, but Eliza had him stymied. As good of a lawyer as he was, Eliza was much better at arguing. She always had the moral high-ground, after all. "Fine."

"Good." Eliza smiled to herself, pleased at having avoided a social disaster.

Angelica sank down in her seat, wishing that she were anywhere else.

* * *

"I never know how to get this fucking thing to work," Alexander grumbled, gesturing towards the car seat in his and Eliza's laughably practical minivan while Eliza said goodbye to everyone at Mount Vernon. "You've got to give me a hand, here."

Eliza smiled at Angelica in amusement before sauntering over to Alexander. She didn't seem to mean to rub her domestic bliss in Angelica's face, but that was precisely what she was doing. Church, meanwhile, was making baby noises at Johnny in the middle of the courtyard. The very image of it filled Angelica with the urge to ridicule.

"You know what Angelica said," Eliza started up with her usual tone of authority, gesturing back to Angelica emphatically. "No swearing around Philip. He's starting to understand everything that we say."

"Yes, dear," Alexander responded, overemphasizing the term of endearment. Had the tone been used on anyone's lips, it would have been met with a pout and an inquiry as to whether his love still remained hers. On Alexander's lips, however, the snark only made Eliza smile. There was no malice in his words; Alexander could never muster a malicious word towards Eliza.

"Thank you so much for dinner." Once Philip was strapped into his car seat, Eliza turned back to speak with Martha. She was the most thoughtful daughter-in-law that Angelica had ever heard of. Angelica was just relieved that Church didn't speak much with his parents beyond working for his father.

While Eliza spoke with Martha, Alexander approached Angelica.

"Annie," His eyes were set on the ground, humbled since their initial outrage. "I really don't like you doing this interview with Aaron. I know that I don't have a right to ask you not to go, but…"

"Do you know what Angelica says?" Angelica stole a page from Eliza's book. Alexander looked up at her, a reluctantly amused smile on his lips. "Don't worry so much. The interview will be fine. And if it isn't - well, surely assaulting a reporter on live television is enough to ruin Aaron Burr's career."

 **Rewind**

Blessedly, Alexander was not home when Aaron came over with the email from Thomas. Angelica knew that he would handle it much worse than she did. So she instructed Aaron to ignore the email, return to work, and not say a word about it to Alexander. Aaron protested, obviously not wanting to have to keep anything from Alexander for the second time, but Angelica assured him that Alexander would not be mad about this. If she had any say in the matter, Alexander would never know about this.

Angelica grabbed her coat and left the house, typing Monticello's address into her GPS as she climbed into her car. It estimated her time of arrival to be within the next 3 hours. That would hopefully be enough time to stop news of the sale of her father's Senate seat from reaching Alexander.

When she arrived at Monticello, she didn't knock. She stormed right through the front doors and towards Thomas' office. A few servants that Thomas was wealthy enough to maintain looked at her oddly but assumed that someone else had let her in. No one stopped to ask her what she was there for. She looked like she was on a mission, and no one was eager to stand in the way of it.

"What the fuck is this?" She burst into the office, again without knocking. She waved the email - which she had printed out for this dramatic moment - in the air.

Thomas looked up from his computer, startled. "Angelica?"

"Thomas Jefferson, what the fuck do you think that you're doing selling my father's Senate seat?" Angelica didn't bother with niceties. She looked down at the email, which she had read more in-depth when Aaron left. "'The Schuylers and their reputation have been weakened from recent events, leaving their Republican support lacking'? You're taking advantage of the absolute hell that Alex and I have been going through to make sure that someone on your team gets a seat in the Senate?"

"Angelica, it's not personal, it's -"

"How is this not personal, Tom?" Angelica slammed the email on his desk, leaning closer to glare at him. He was trying not to meet her eyes. Angelica would be damned if she let him get away with not looking at her. "This is _only_ personal. You're using my personal issue to get your way during the elections. Do you hate me, Tom? Is that it? Why are you doing this to my family?"

"Of course I don't hate you, Angelica," Thomas sighed, closing his laptop and spinning in his chair to face her fully. "I'm trying to be rational. If anyone else had gotten themselves into this kind of scandal, I would have lunged at it without thinking. I can't treat you any differently because you're…well, you."

"Do I not mean anything to you?" Angelica knew it wasn't fair to expect to mean anything to Thomas, but she did all the same. After all, he meant something to her. "Do you not know how hard it was for me to hear about this email? From someone else, I might add. I expected you to at least have the courage to tell me before you sent this out."

"Do you know how hard it was for me to see Hamilton put you through that hell?" Thomas demanded, standing from his chair and skulking to the corner of the room, away from Angelica. Arguing with him was much different from arguing with Alexander. While Alexander had a tendency to get in Angelica's face when they were fighting, Thomas ran away. His eyes were always darting, trying to map out the perfect escape route. "To actually yell at you, like he was entitled to have a child with you? And you never reached out to me during that time, not once."

"Was I supposed to?" Angelica bit back angrily, chasing Thomas as he flitted away from her. "You could have reached out to me, you know. I already had a lot on my plate. And you were only one office away the whole time."

"That's the problem, Angelica!" Thomas exclaimed in exasperation. "You always keep me at arm's length. You want me around, but not too close. Every day, I've had to see you carry on with Hamilton while keeping me around as a backup plan. It isn't healthy, Angelica."

"I'm not working there anymore, Tom," Angelica sighed. "And we're not talking about this. We're talking about what you're doing to my father."

"I don't care about this," Thomas grabbed the printed email from his desk and ripped it in half, tossing it up in the air dramatically. "Let him keep the Senate seat. Let him lose it. _I. Don't. Care._ I want to talk about you and I."

"There's nothing to talk about," Angelica hated that Thomas always found a way to put her on the defensive position.

"Nothing to talk about," Thomas echoed hoarsely. "Is that really how you feel? We're nothing?"

"Tom," Angelica sighed, running a hand through her hair. "It's…complicated."

"Which is why it needs discussing," Thomas insisted.

"I'm married to Alex," Angelica reminded him, sitting down on an overstuffed armchair near the back of the study.

"I know that," Thomas leaned against his desk. "That's why I haven't asked you to marry me."

"And I love him," Angelica looked up at Thomas, hoping that he would understand.

He did. He sighed and hung his head. "I know that, too."

"But I do love you," Angelica insisted, scooting closer in her chair.

"Just less," Thomas looked up at her, his expression begging her to tell him that he was wrong.

"Yes." Angelica couldn't lie.

"But when you stop loving him," Thomas was looking down at the carpet intently. "Or he stops loving you…"

"You know that you're next on my list," Angelica assured him with a smile.

Thomas crooked a small smile, too. He looked up at her slowly. "Any idea when such a phenomenon might happen?"

"None," Angelica responded, smiling apologetically. "But do you think that you could just try to cope with it in the meantime? Ideally without terrorizing my family?"

Thomas shook his head, his smile fading. "I'm not sure how much longer I can stand being so close to him every single day. He talks to me about you all of the time. He knows that I…"

"So quit," Angelica knew that Alexander treated Thomas badly, at least partially because he knew that Angelica still harbored feelings for the poor man. Alexander was known for falling on the wrong side of the petty spectrum.

"What?" Thomas' eyes widened in surprise.

"Quit," Angelica repeated, shrugging as she stood up from the chair and walked closer to Thomas. "If George wins, you're only going to be working more hours with Alex. If he's being an ass about it, just get another job. It can't be too difficult with your resume and connections."

"But…" Thomas' eyebrows furrowed as he struggled to keep up with Angelica's way of thinking. "What else is there for me to do?"

"I hear that the Virginia governor's campaign is pretty weak," Angelica suggested, grinning. "Why don't you lunge at that?"

"Governor…" Thomas murmured thoughtfully. "Do you really think I'd be any good at it?"

"Can't be worse than the other guy," Angelica answered optimistically.

Thomas looked at her for a moment before hurrying around to the other side of his desk and opening his laptop again. He set to work typing, his brows knit together in concentration. Angelica just watched with a small smile. She knew better than to interrupt someone when they were typing at such a furious speed.

After a few minutes, Thomas' printer made a churning noise and spat out a piece of paper. For all of his typing, Thomas' resignation letter was only two paragraphs long. He placed it in an envelope - one of his personal stationery envelopes - and handed it to Angelica.

"Would you give this to George the next time that you see him?"

"I will," Angelica agreed, placing the envelope in her purse.

"And if I might ask you for one more favor…" Thomas stood up from his desk and took a few cautious steps towards Angelica.

"Yes?" Angelica asked, batting her eyes flirtatiously.

"What would you say to being my campaign manager?" Thomas inquired, grinning down at Angelica.

Angelica just laughed and walked straight out of the office.

* * *

"Who are you voting for?" Alexander teased as he and Angelica walked into their former high school. It was their designated voting area, as neither of them had yet changed their registration information to include a residence in D.C.

Angelica rolled her eyes and accepted her ballot from one of the volunteers working at the station. "I don't think that you're supposed to ask that."

"Why not?" Alexander pretended not to know with a laugh, accepting his ballot and following Angelica towards the cubicles that were serving as glorified polls.

As they walked through their old school's gymnasium, there were whispers of their names, along with George's. Alexander was obviously the most easily recognized; he had been the subject of many SNL sketches as of late. "Hamilton Doing Things" had also recently been featured on Ellen. Still, he had the dignity to pretend that he didn't hear his name. He just flashed a winning smile at passersby and every so often glanced down at his "Washington 2016" t-shirt.

"There is no talking in this area, sir," One of the volunteers admonished Alexander. Angelica had to place a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter as she looked down to her own ballot.

Her father's name stood alone on the senator election section. Angelica breathed a sigh of relief. Though Thomas had promised her to send out a follow-up email discouraging any Republicans from running against him, there was always a chance that someone else would step up to the plate. Fortunately, it had not happened during this election cycle.

Angelica checked George's name on the presidential ballot and hurried through the rest of the ballot. When she finished, she glanced over at Alexander. He was still working on his, looking deep in concentration. Angelica just rolled her eyes and walked past him to submit her vote. She couldn't resist looking over Alexander's shoulder as she passed. She was hardly surprised to see that he was writing all over the ballot - protesting certain candidates, criticizing large gaps between policy decisions, and even including a small note for the electoral college.

Just as Angelica was receiving her "I Voted" sticker, Alexander moved to submit his ballot. Angelica knew this because she could hear him demand, "What do you mean I can't write on my ballot? Since when is democracy curtailed to filling in bubbles?" from across the gymnasium.

"I'll meet you in the car," She called across the gym, smiling at the volunteers apologetically before rushing out of the school and bursting out laughing.

* * *

George won the election by a landslide. It was really no big surprise to anyone. Martha had invited everyone to a celebratory party weeks in advance, disregarding George whenever he would remind her that nothing was guaranteed. Thomas, who had also won his respective election, was also hosting a party that evening. Alexander was adamant that they go to George's party for the bulk of the evening, but Angelica convinced him to stop by Thomas' party towards the end of the night.

If Angelica had expected Alexander to have any fun at the party, she would have been woefully mistaken. Luckily, she knew her husband a little bit better than that. He was running from politician to politician, tallying up the number of votes that he would need to get bills passed as soon as George took office. Angelica remained with Aaron, laughing as Alexander flitted and flounced all over Washington's estate.

About an hour into the party, Aaron stopped laughing and nudged Angelica. She turned to look at him, hoping that he had seen John Adams do something embarrassing. They had been waiting for the inevitable moment when he humiliated himself all night.

"Is that Church? From high school?" Not quite the same thing as John Adams embarrassing himself, but still something of interest. Angelica turned around to see who Aaron was looking at.

It sure was Church. He looked the exact same as he had in high school. The same sandy hair and polite smile greeted her when she dared to make eye contact. Without thinking, Angelica began walking in his direction. Aaron followed her, casting strange glances in her direction every few seconds.

"Angelica Schuyler," Church grinned as soon as Angelica was within talking distance. "I thought I might run into you here."

"Church," Angelica couldn't help but smile at the familiar feeling that came with being near Church. "What are you doing here?"

"George invited us," Church explained hastily, gesturing towards a woman - a pregnant woman - who was standing by his side. "My father's company donated some money to his campaign a while back. Uh, Angelica, this is my wife, Theodosia. Theo, this is Angelica Schuyler. We dated back in high school. She's married to George's future Secretary of the Treasury."

"I was also George's deputy campaign manager," Angelica added, outstretching her hand for Theodosia to shake. "I'm not only here because of Alex."

"I think we've already met," Theodosia beamed. She then looked at Aaron, who was standing beside Angelica. "At your wedding, a few years ago. This isn't Alexander, is it? I seem to recall him looking different…"

Angelica laughed. "I'm sorry. I'm terrible at remembering people. Um, but no, this isn't Alex. This is my friend, Aaron Burr."

"Aaron also went to high school with us," Church felt obligated to explain as Theodosia and Aaron shook hands. "I didn't know that you two kept in touch."

Angelica shrugged, still smiling. "We didn't. He just showed up during the campaign, looking for a job."

"Ah," Church nodded awkwardly. The conversation was very quickly lulling into the point of no return. Angelica was desperate to salvage it. She hadn't seen Church in years and didn't want him to remember her by this horrible conversation.

"So, you're married," She gestured towards Theodosia as if she was an object. Angelica inwardly cringed at the strange look on Theodosia's face, but heroically struggled on. "Do you have…any kids?"

Theodosia looked pregnant, but Angelica didn't want to make the interaction more uncomfortable by assuming that she was pregnant, just in case she was not.

Luckily, it was the right question to ask. Church's face lit up.

"We do. We have a two-year-old boy, John, and Theo is about five months along with our second." He explained, fishing in his back pocket for his wallet. "I have a picture of John somewhere in here."

"Are you expecting a boy or a girl?" Aaron asked Theodosia.

"A girl," Theodosia placed a hand on her stomach, smiling at Aaron cheerfully. Angelica was glad that Aaron was distracting her; her looks of disapproval were only making the entire interaction more uncomfortable.

"Here he is," Church produced his wallet. From the wallet, he pulled out dozens of pictures. "Little John Augustus Church."

"Augustus?" Angelica couldn't help but laugh. "What a big name for such a tiny boy."

"He wears it well," Church beamed, handing Angelica picture after picture.

Admittedly, little John Augustus was cute. He had the same ruddy complexion as his father, but he had Theodosia's angular features. He was laughing and smiling in all of the pictures. It was difficult to imagine such a happy little face ever contorting into the screaming, blubbering mess that most toddlers became at the drop of a hat.

"Who's this?" Alexander seemed to materialize out of thin air, taking his place by Angelica's side. He glanced down at the baby pictures for a second before looking up at the holder of said pictures. He didn't seem to recognize Church.

"Alex, this is Church," Angelica told Alexander, looking at him critically. "You remember Church, from high school."

"Oh, yeah. Hey, man," Alexander smiled at him distractedly. He returned his attention to the photos in Church's hand. "Cute kid. Is he yours?"

"Yes, he is," Church didn't seem to mind Alexander's weird behavior. "This is my son, John. We're expecting our second in April."

"Girl or boy?" Alexander looked strangely intense about a conversation regarding children.

"Girl," Church looked Alexander over warily but did his best to keep smiling.

"What are you going to name her?" Alexander did not calm down with his line of questioning. Angelica was beginning to recognize the symptoms of a meltdown; Alexander always got weirdly intense and asked too many questions when he was in the precursory stages of obsessing about something. She very obviously did not want him obsessing about kids; not enough time had passed since the incident in which it became clear that Alexander wanted kids.

"We're thinking about calling her Theodosia, after her mother," Church still answered Alexander's questions, even if he asked them in the strangest way possible.

Alexander nodded, beginning to chew his thumbnail in his mouth. That was never a good sign. "Do you think -"

"Hey, Alex," Angelica didn't know what she was going to say, she just knew that she needed to get Alexander away from Church and his baby pictures as soon as possible. "I, um, I think that John Adams is trying to get your attention over there. Have you talked to him about your bill proposition yet? Um, Church, it was so great to see you. Let's get together soon, okay?"

"Sure," Church smiled at Angelica sympathetically.

"Great," Angelica grabbed Alexander's arm and pulled him towards the corner of the room where John Adams was eating. She had no intention of speaking to the man; she only wanted to get Alexander away from Church. He stumbled after her reluctantly.

"That was rude," He murmured under his breath as they slowly crossed the room.

Angelica looked at him like he had lost his mind. "I was rude? Alex, you were talking about Church's kid like you were planning to murder it. I thought that you were going to have a total meltdown back there!"

"I was _fine_ ," Alexander hissed under his breath. "I was just asking questions."

"You were making everyone uncomfortable."

"No, I was making _you_ uncomfortable," Alexander accused. "You've been luring me away from kids and everything to do with them for weeks. What do you think that I'm going to do? Kidnap one and insist that you raise it? Annie, I told you - I forgive you. I'm not going to have some breakdown in the middle of the party and start yelling. Why can't you just leave it be?"

"Because I know that you still resent me," Angelica bit back irritably. "I know that you said you forgave me, and I know that you're trying really hard to act like things are exactly the way that they were before, but they aren't and I know that. Every time you see a baby in a grocery store, I see the look on your face. It looks like you're in pain, and there's nothing I can do to help you."

Alexander looked around the party for a moment before letting out an annoyed huff and grabbing the crook of Angelica's elbow. He led her into one of Washington's guest rooms, where their argument wouldn't be overheard.

"What do you want me to say, Annie?" He asked, throwing his hands up in the air. "Yes, I wanted that baby. If I could go back in time and beg you to keep it, I would. When I see other couples with babies, it's hard not to think about what our lives might've been like if we were in their shoes. That doesn't mean I love you less, nor does it mean that I'm a ticking time bomb. Would you please just trust me enough to believe me when I say that I will be okay? I just need to digest this at my own pace."

"But I feel like I should be doing something…like, I should be helping." Angelica frowned.

"You can't," Alexander said simply. He shrugged to emphasize the point. "You need to accept that."

"But -"

"There you are," George poked his head into the room, smiling kindly. "Alex, my boy, I have been all over looking for you. I have a Congressman here who wants to know the finer details of our debt plan. I thought that you might be the best person to ask."

"Oh, uh, actually George, I think that Annie and I are about to head out," Alexander smiled back at George politely. Angelica knew that it was taking a great deal of effort for Alexander to maintain such a smile. Judging from the look on George's face, he knew it, too. "It's been a long week."

"Of course," George stepped aside, allowing Alexander and Angelica to leave the room. "I'll go get Martha. She'll want to say goodbye."

Alexander nodded, but his jaw tightened. Angelica tried to touch his arm, wanting to lessen the tension in his body, but he jerked away.

"Honey, you're leaving already?" Martha thankfully showed up in a matter of seconds. "I hope that we haven't scared you away?"

"Not at all," Alexander assured her tightly. "We're both very tired. I hope that you understand."

"Naturally," Martha smiled kindly, but there was a hint of concern in her eyes. "Be sure to call tomorrow, would you? George wants to have a celebratory brunch a little later in the week. He's inviting his whole cabinet."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Alexander was already shrugging on his coat. The bedroom that they had just been arguing in was also the one in which Martha had placed guests' coats. He tossed Angelica's in her direction. Angelica caught it but looked at him reproachfully. "Thanks for hosting us tonight, Martha. It was a great party."

Martha nodded. "We were glad to have you."

"Annie, you ready?" Alexander looked over at Angelica impatiently.

"Yes, Alex, I'm ready," Angelica snapped, disliking the attitude that Alexander was exhibiting towards her.

Alexander nodded at Martha before breezing past her towards the front door. Angelica followed him out of the mansion and down the gravel driveway towards their car. She had to jog through the gravel in her floor-length ball gown and heels in order to keep up with him.

"Thomas' party next?" She asked, reminding Alexander of the deal that they had made earlier in the evening.

Alexander halted in front of their car, his eyes narrowing. "What?"

"Thomas' party. You agreed to go - don't pretend that you didn't," Angelica folded her arms across her chest, her eyes narrowing.

"I don't want to go to Jefferson's fucking party," Alexander growled.

"I don't care," Angelica wasn't afraid to argue with him. It seemed like all they did as of late was argue. "You said that you would go."

Alexander turned around to face her. "I changed my mind."

"I'm going, with or without you," Angelica informed him resolutely.

"Go right ahead," Alexander's eyes narrowed as he shrugged carelessly. "I'll call a cab and stay at a hotel tonight."

"Fine." Angelica didn't feel fine at all. "Give me the keys."

Alexander handed them over without any protest. He then pulled his phone out of his pocket and walked back up the gravel driveway. Angelica could hear his voice drifting through the otherwise silent night. He was calling a cab, speaking rather roughly to the operator.

Angelica shook her head, clearing all thoughts of him. If she dwelled on it for too long, she would start crying, and she would be damned if she ended another evening by crying in a ball gown at the bottom of a driveway.

She climbed into the car, plugged the key into the ignition, and drove away before she allowed Alexander to wreak more havoc on her evening than he already had.

When she arrived at Monticello, Angelica went straight for the bar. The drive from Mount Vernon to Monticello was no short one to make, which gave her plenty of time to think about Alexander. Such thoughts were leading her down a dangerous path; one that she was eager to forget about.

That was how she learned the hard, but the inevitable lesson that every adult must come to terms with: Don't drink when you're running away from something. Perhaps you'll find a temporary sanctuary, but you will pay for that stay.

After about an hour, it was obvious that she would not be able to make the drive back to her and Alexander's house. She was forced to ask Thomas if she could stay at Monticello for the evening, which prompted far too many questions about what Alexander would think. Though she was drunk, Angelica did not miss the massive smirk on Thomas' face.

She was adamant that she stay in a guest room, at least. It was possible that she had displaced another one of Thomas' guests who had previously arranged to stay with him, but she didn't care. She and Alexander had enough problems, presently. She didn't need rumors going around that she had slept in Thomas' bed on election night.

Halfway through the night, she awoke to the sound of her phone receiving a text. Thinking that it was Thomas trying to lure her into his room under the secrecy of nightfall, Angelica groaned and fumbled for her phone. When she saw Alexander's name and corresponding emojis instead, she sat up and squinted to get a better look at the words. They were startlingly concise, given Alexander's tendency to ramble.

 **I would have named him Philip.**

Angelica didn't need to ask who he was talking about. She knew.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:**

 **NO! Chapter 16 is not the end! There will be 35 (I think) chapters in total. The delay in posts had to do with some computer issues I was having. They are (hopefully) all resolved, so my updates will be more regular again. Enjoy!**

George Washington won the election. While he reigned as President of the United States, Eliza realized that she was pregnant with her second child. Alexander, now Secretary of the Treasury, was delighted by the news. Angelica, a thriving reporter, was not. Church, managing two-year-old Johnny, was too overwhelmed to have a strong opinion or notice that Angelica was so sublimely unhappy.

Church's lack of observation could have had something to do with Angelica's absence in her own home; since her interview with Aaron Burr, she had gained momentum with CNN. They saw her as a reliable reporter with a slew of connections in the political world. She knew James Madison, now the House Majority Leader, she was related to Alexander Hamilton by marriage, she was sleeping with Thomas Jefferson, the new Secretary of State (though he still hadn't fully forgiven her for skipping his dinner party), and George Washington always went easy on her when she caught him off-guard with an impertinent question. As she was now one of CNN's top ten reporters, she spent more and more time in DC reporting on politics. As her home with Church was still in New York, she spent her life in a sort of limbo. She spent her weekdays with Eliza and Alexander in the Hamilton residence in D.C. She flew home for weekends in New York with Church and Johnny.

This ingress and egress was put on an abrupt hold, however, when Angelica found out that Thomas Jefferson was getting married. She found out when she got her invitation. She had been wondering why she was no longer invited to Monticello on a whim. Previously, she had chalked it up to Thomas' desire to remain close to D.C. and his rented apartment. Now, she realized, it was to keep her away from his fiancé - Patcy Skelton.

Both Angelica and George were invited. Alexander was not. Alexander pretended not to notice - pretended to be unbothered while George and Angelica discussed what they would wear, when they would depart for Monticello, and what they would do for lunch beforehand. Angelica could tell from the way that his eyes darted and his jaw clenched, though, that he was outraged. The rest of the cabinet had been invited. Thomas had intentionally snubbed him.

At the wedding, Angelica couldn't help but sigh, watching Thomas standing at the alter. He was so handsome. Angelica felt responsible for that; as all people feel responsible for every positive attribute of their former lovers. He glanced at her once - just once - but in that look, there was uncertainty. Uncertainty about her presence, maybe, or perhaps uncertainty about what he was going to do. Angelica just smiled, hoping that he would focus on the matter at hand. Blessedly, Thomas was nothing if not a good, self-sacrificial politician.

James was the best man. If it was possible, he looked more uncertain that Thomas, still. He looked around the crowd anxiously, licking his lips and shifting his weight from foot to foot. There were bags under his eyes. His lips looked chapped and raw from biting and licking - and not in a fun way. Angelica almost felt bad for the poor man, watching himself agonize over an event that was supposedly happy.

"He looks terrible, doesn't he?" Angelica had seated herself beside Dolley Madison, who she liked a great deal. "He didn't sleep a wink last night. It was apparently some bachelor party. There was some concern that he and Thomas wouldn't make it back in time for the wedding."

"You're kidding!" Angelica whispered back, scandalized. "Surely it wasn't either of their ideas? I can't imagine Thomas or James acting so…spontaneous."

It wasn't a word that described either of the men.

"Apparently it was both of them," Dolley looked around conspiratorially. She rolled her eyes as she added, "This is off the record, of course?"

"Of course." She hardly needed to ask at this point. She and Angelica gossiped at nearly every political event. Angelica knew that if she were to betray Dolley's confidence, it would be the end of such delicious gossip sessions.

"None of the other groomsmen heard a word about it until this morning," Dolley was grinning like a Cheshire cat. She was more beautiful that way. Angelica loved having someone to misbehave with at all of these stuffy events. That she married dull, polite James made it all the more enjoyable. "Not until the two staggered in, disheveled and still quite drunk. Both are refusing to tell anyone where they went, or what they did, but I have theories of my own."

"What are they?" Angelica all but climbed into Dolley's lap to get closer to her.

Dolley looked at her pointedly, her implication plain.

"No," Angelica's eyes widened as she looked at Thomas and James, both of whom were watching unimposing, unimportant Patcy float down the aisle. It was so difficult to care about her when she was so unexceptional in every sense.

"It would hardly be the first time," Dolley chortled.

"But that's your husband!" Angelica knew something about infidelity, but to gossip about one's spouse's exploits…she was a free spirit, but even she could not imagine doing such a thing.

"Which is why my theory is the only one that matters." Dolley was unbothered. She smiled and winked at Angelica playfully. "Don't look so shocked, Angie. We all know that Thomas is an interesting man to look at, if nothing else. If he takes in interest in my little Jemmie, well, it would be selfish to keep the man all for myself."

"Have you and Thomas ever…?"

"No," Dolley laughed loud enough to attract the attention of several people. Angelica smiled at them apologetically. Dolley grinned at them brazenly. Once the attention returned to Thomas and his marriage, Dolley leaned back to Angelica. "He's not my type. Too…lanky. Now, that brother-in-law of yours…he's just my type. Have you ever gone there?"

Angelica's face reddened. If only Dolley knew. But this was still a political event. Angelica had to keep up the charade.

"Of course not! That's my sister's husband. Even for me, that's excessive. I would recommend that you not go there, either." Angelica tried not to admit to herself that jealousy governed her response. "I would consider it a betrayal of my friendship. Besides that, he would undoubtedly use the affair to further his career somehow. Or at least brag about it enough to drive poor James out of his mind."

"That's true. He does seem somewhat indiscreet." Dolley wrinkled her nose and let out a sigh. "I suppose that I'll just have to find someone else to play with if this becomes something of a habit for Jemmie."

"I doubt it, what with the new wife." Angelica gestured towards Patcy disdainfully. She couldn't help but judge the woman who was scraping up her leftovers. It seemed unfair for Thomas to move on instead of waiting for her.

"Oh, I think it's just the beginning." Dolley seemed surprised by Angelica's statement. "He's about to find out how restrictive marriage can be, especially with someone like her. I'm sure before the month is over, he'll be looking for all sorts of excuses to slip out of the house and stay away for hours at a time. He'll either have an affair or start a war - both will achieve the same purpose."

"And you'll let him have James, just like that?"

"Well," Dolley grinned, looking around at the wedding crowd. "Only if I can find someone of my own to pass the time."

"James won't mind?"

"Certainly not - how could he?"

"Is it possible that I'm jealous of your marriage to James Madison?" Angelica couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, no. Are you having trouble with John?" Dolley didn't seem surprised. "I suppose he always was a little bit on the boring side, no? Still, he is fun to look at. Maybe I could take him off of your plate for a little while."

Angelica laughed. The idea of Church going astray had never occurred to her. He was so meant for domestic life - he thrived from it. He would not risk it all for a single affair. It would mean the end of late nights with Johnny, the end of having dinner on the table by 5:30pm on the dot…the end of dinner parties, the end of afternoon cleaning sessions, the end of a very charmed, very domestic lifestyle. That meant more to Church than any woman - it meant more to him than Angelica did.

"Good luck." She said, instead.

"You're right," Dolley seemed to read Angelica's mind, leaning back in her chair with a sigh as Thomas kissed the bride. The ceremony had gone by quickly. That was a relief to them both. "He's too good of a guy for that. Too decent for me, certainly. Are you sure I can't snatch up that brother-in-law of yours?"

Angelica cast her a deadly look.

Dolley laughed. "Fine, fine. I will settle for someone else. Washington's son is sort of interesting looking, isn't he?"

"Jacky?" Angelica wrinkled her nose. "Do better."

Dolley laughed, shrugging haplessly as Thomas, Patcy, and the wedding party defected into the distance to take pictures. Guests began walking towards the reception area, just a few steps away from the ceremonial location. "Perhaps there will be some tall, dark and handsome figure for me at the reception. Who knows? Maybe Thomas has been hiding someone striking in his family from us all."

* * *

There as no one striking at the reception. Dolley and Angelica were left to laugh and gossip alone in a corner all night long. James stopped by every once in a while, but by in large remained at the wedding party table.

A few people asked Angelica about Church's location. All of them seemed surprised when she told them that he was staying home with their toddler. It seemed that no matter how modern this generation claimed to be, they could not understand a man opting to take on a more domestic, parental role when they was a perfectly good woman available to him.

"Don't worry about them," Dolley told her about five drinks into the evening. "If I've learned one thing as a politician's wife, it's that everyone in this social circle is a cave man or cave woman, no exceptions."

"What about me?"

"Well, all right, there's one exception."

"I think that I had better go," As Thomas geared up to make another ridiculous toast to the woman who was now his wife, Angelica emptied her glass and grabbed her bag. "I have to give a report tomorrow morning and I should probably be sober for it. Give me a call, Doll. I always forget how fun you are until we're drunk at these awful events."

"Right back at you." Dolley shot Angelica the finger guns with a drunken smile.

Angelica smiled at her before standing up. She nodded towards George, making her intentions to leave clear. George nodded back, giving his consent. They hadn't planned to leave together, anyway.

When exposed to the D.C. streets, Angelica looked about a little bit helplessly. She was quite unused to walking through the streets alone. She briefly considered calling a cab, but as she walked up the street towards a busier area, she found that she enjoyed walking alone. She could stop for a donut at that very moment if she wanted. She didn't want to, but the important thing was that she _could_.

She walked through the city towards her hotel. She booked a hotel during this D.C. visit, mostly to avoid Alexander's passive-aggressive remarks about not being invited to the wedding. The hotel was just down the street from the venue - most of the guests were staying there. Dolley and James were staying there. There was a high probability of Angelica running into Dolley in the hotel bar later that evening.

Angelica was mildly disappointed, mildly liberated when she arrived at her hotel room just moments after leaving Thomas' reception. She didn't have to put on a brave face for those who suspected the affair all along, nor did she have to agree with people who were politely complimenting the bride - calling her beautiful when she was plain at best. She only had to be herself. After all, who was there left to impress?

She pulled the overly expensive miniature liquor bottles from the mini fridge and lined them up on her nightstand. She flipped on her TV - switching the channel until she found the interview that Alexander had done with Fox News that morning - and set to work drinking each miniature bottle one by one.

Angelica was on her fourth bottle when there was a knock on her hotel room door. She pulled her hotel-provided robe tighter closed before scampering across the hotel room floor, her pedicure chipped from a day of wearing close-toed shoes.

She threw the door open and peered down the hallway when she only saw an envelope lying on the floor. At the end of the hall, Angelica could see Dolley and James teetering towards the exit, their drunkenness visible even from where she stood.

Rolling her eyes, Angelica picked up the envelope and returned to her bed. She picked up the fifth miniature bottle as she examined the envelope. Her name was written across it in Thomas' handwriting.

Unable to resist a mystery, Angelica tore open the envelope with no finesse. She got a paper cut. She winced at the pain, stuck her bleeding finger in her mouth, and set to work reading the letter that Thomas had written her.

 _Dear Angelica,_

 _I'm afraid that you can no longer be dear Angelica._

 _I'm sure that it has not escaped you that I am now a married man. I do not intend to be the sort of married man who is only married when it suits him - I do not intend to be the sort of married man that Hamilton is. I have to make this marriage work. I fear that if I don't, there will be nothing in this life left for me._

 _I love you. Ardently. There is no point in hiding this from you. You catch me out every time I try to lie about it - whether I am lying to you, or myself. I must, therefore, ask that you spare me. If I am not strong enough to resist you, you must avoid tempting me as much as both of our respective jobs will allow. You are the only person who could get in the way of a successful marriage with Patcy. I beg you not to._

 _Ever yours, if only in spirit,_

 _Thomas_

 **Rewind**

Once the elections were over and George had been sworn into office, Alexander and Angelica moved to D.C., near the White House. They could barely afford the house that they had agreed upon, a problem that was made worse by the fact that Angelica was out of the job for a little while. Her governor had won but didn't need a full-time PR handler. He had managed to find someone else to offer that job to at the end of the campaign.

Alexander, on the other hand, had never worked so hard in his life. He was paid decently for it, too. Angelica suspected that he was staying late at the office to avoid her, but pretended not to notice that the only time they spent together was at obligatory public events. She pretended that it didn't bother her that she was always home and that he was never home.

After about a month, though, Angelica was tired of sitting around their empty house by herself. She was so tired of it, in fact, that she grew desperate enough to call Aaron Burr.

"Angelica," Aaron answered his phone straight away. "Long time, no speak. How're you?"

"I am dying of boredom," Angelica answered, smiling. She'd forgotten how nice it was to speak to a colleague instead of merely facing Alexander's guarded responses and Thomas' insistent pleas. "How are you filling your time now that elections are over? You don't have an in with some councilmen, do you?"

Aaron laughed. Angelica had forgotten what it felt like to make someone laugh. "You're not that desperate for work, are you?"

"Yesterday, I looked into a job position that was - and I kid you not - a show Shih Tzu's social media manager." Angelica tried to sound grim, but her laughter ruined its effect.

"Jesus," Aaron chuckled. "Well, uh, I'm working at John Church's company. I was talking to his wife at George's election-night party and she mentioned that he had been looking for a Marketing Director. It's a little less exciting than working on a campaign, but the money's good and I get to go home at five o'clock every night. I can ask around here for you, but I know that Jefferson is still looking for a press secretary."

"I can't work with Thomas," Angelica said firmly. "Even if the commute were do-able, he and Alex would kill each other after a few weeks."

"Things still aren't better, huh?" Aaron asked sympathetically.

"We're okay," Angelica plopped down on the couch with a sigh. "I think. I guess I wouldn't know if it was otherwise. He's always working. He sleeps at the White House most nights so that he can work through the night."

"I'm sorry to hear it," Aaron murmured quietly. "Well, I'll ask around here to see if there's anything for you. I'm sure that once Church hears you're looking, he'll make something up for you."

"Thanks, Aaron," Angelica smiled sadly. "I'll talk to you later. Bye."

"Bye," Aaron hung up without hesitation. It was likely that he had a lot to do at his job. Angelica envied him for that.

As her phone returned to her home screen, she noticed that she had received a text during her phone call with Aaron. It was from Alexander.

 **Working late. Will be sleeping here tonight. Love you.**

* * *

"Aaron," Angelica was at the grocery store when Aaron called her back a few days later. She ignored the dirty looks that she received as she strolled through the produce section. The people in D.C. were so snotty. "Hey. How are you?"

"Great," Aaron didn't sound like he had much time for chit-chat. "I talked to John Church. He says that if you're still interested, he's looking for a Vice President of PR. He told me to give you his number to call if you'd like it."

"Yes, please!" Angelica didn't have to think twice. "That would be incredible."

Aaron listed off Church's number, which Angelica scribbled down on the back of her shopping list. He then let her hang up to call Church, which she did not hesitate to do. Screw the snooty Wholefoods patrons of D.C. - Angelica didn't care if they looked at her for talking on the phone in the grocery store.

"Hello?" Church sounded tired. Overworked, even. Angelica envied him.

"Church? Hi, it's Angelica…Angelica Schuyler, from -"

"You don't need to tell me who you are, Angelica," Church laughed. It was the same laugh that frequented Angelica's high school memories. "I'd recognize your voice anywhere. Aaron tells me that you're looking for a job."

"Yeah," A strange sense of shame crept up on Angelica. "If your company doesn't have anything, you shouldn't feel obligated to create something, I was just -"

"We would love to have you as a PR Vice President," Church didn't want for Angelica to finish. "Had I known that you were in need of a job, I would have recruited you ages ago. I just assumed you had something else already lined up. As it is, you're ten times more qualified than anyone we've been considering."

"And you're not just offering me the job because we went to school together?" Angelica asked suspiciously.

"I'll let you look at the other resumes on your first day," Church chuckled. "If you still want the job, that is."

"Yes!" Angelica knew that she sounded over-eager, but it was hard to care. She had been out of work for weeks and it was driving her crazy. She was dying for something more fulfilling to do. "That would be incredible, Church. I don't know how I can even begin to thank you."

"Just do the job as well as I know that you can," Church said warmly. "When do you think that you'll be available to start? We've been searching for a VP for months, so we're happy to have you as soon as possible."

"I can start tomorrow," Angelica would have started that very day, had it not already been 4pm.

"You don't want to discuss your salary first?" Church asked, sounding both amused and serious.

"No need," Angelica said airily. "It has to be more than I'm making now. That's enough for me."

"I think you might be the best applicant I've ever had."

Angelica laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow, Church."

"Looking forward to it, Angie."

Angelica smiled as she hung up the phone.

* * *

Angelica loved working for Church's company. Aaron's office was just down the hall from hers, though Angelica found herself frequenting Church's office far more often than Aaron's. She was certain that she hadn't enjoyed his company so much in high school. The work was great, too. She spent her entire day approving social media posts, arranging commercial airings, and bartering with celebrities for free products.

The only thing that Angelica did not enjoy about Church's company was the one thing that everyone else loved - he sent employees home by 7pm every single evening. He insisted that everyone should have a life outside of work. Angelica didn't have the heart to tell him that she tried to stay in her office past 7pm every single evening because she couldn't bear to go home to an empty house. Her heart sank every time that Alexander texted her, telling her that he would be staying at the White House for the night. It seemed like she hardly ever saw him anymore.

But usually, Angelica could convince Church to get drinks with her after work. It prolonged returning to an empty house by an hour or two most nights. Church was always hesitant, but whenever he called his wife, she would encourage him to take Angelica up on the offer. Angelica had always thought that Church's wife disliked her, but she seemed thrilled by their friendship.

The arrival of Church's daughter changed that pattern.

"Where's Church?" Angelica popped her head into Aaron's office after looking around the building for Church. "He's usually here by now."

"Didn't you hear?" Aaron quirked an eyebrow, grinning. "Theodosia went into labor last night. They're at the hospital. John told his secretary that he didn't plan on coming back to the office for at least a couple of weeks. He's apparently been coming in early for months to make sure that he was ahead of everything before the baby came. He left everyone a massive stack of assignments to keep ahead while he's gone. Didn't you get one?"

"Well, yeah," Angelica had seen a pile of manila folders sitting on her desk. "But I always have a lot of assignments on my desk. I run everything on more of a day-by-day basis. Did you talk to Church at all?"

Aaron shook his head. "Haven't felt the need to. Why?"

"I just…" Angelica looked around, confused as to why she was so concerned about Church's leave of absence. He had a new baby - he was entitled to take a few weeks off to get to know the little thing. She had enough friends at work, she didn't need him. "I don't know, it's weird not seeing him here."

Aaron's mouth quirked into a knowing smile. "If you're looking for a new friend, I am available. We don't even have to go out for drinks - I've stocked my mini fridge."

"At work?" Angelica couldn't help but grin. "I'm pretty sure that's breaking a few HR rules."

Aaron shrugged, tossing aside the packet of information that he had been reading through. "So what? Everyone was so excited to hear that John would be out that they all went home. Didn't you notice how quiet it was outside?"

Angelica looked around, suddenly noticing the eerie silence. She raised an eyebrow. "They're not taking off the entire time that he's gone, are they?"

"I don't know, and as long as they get their work done, I don't care." Aaron sighed, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms behind his head. "So, what do you say? Care for a drink?"

"Oh, what the hell," Angelica crossed Aaron's office and opened the mini fridge. It was stocked with miniatures of just about every alcohol imaginable. She turned to look at Aaron, her mouth twisted into an amused smirk. "Jeez, Aaron. Are you hosting parties after hours?"

"Toss me two Jack Daniels and a can of Coke, would you?" Aaron didn't seem to mind her joke.

Angelica rolled her eyes and sent a can of soda and its corresponding minis sailing across the room. Aaron caught only the can of soda, allowing the minis to clatter onto his desk. Angelica turned around to make her decision while Aaron cracked open the Coke and poured the Jack into it.

Angelica settled for a wine cooler before returning to Aaron's desk. She plopped down in one of the chairs across from his desk, opening the wine cooler and taking a sip, cringing at the overwhelming sweetness.

"So, now that John isn't here, are you going to be staying past 7?" Aaron looked Angelica over curiously.

"What makes you ask that?" Angelica's eyes narrowed.

Aaron's smile broke the tension that his question had created. "I know that you hate going home every night. I see you trying to go unnoticed every time John does his rounds to clear the office. And I know that you're not asking him to go for drinks because you're desperate for his company. Is Alex still staying at the White House?"

Angelica had made the mistake of telling Aaron about Alexander's frequent overnight stays at the White House.

"It's not so bad," Angelica sighed, risking another sip of the wine cooler. "I still get to see him at political events. This weekend is the correspondent's dinner. He has to go home with me that night, at least. If for no other reason than to make sure that the press doesn't start spreading rumors."

Aaron shook his head, looking down at his soda thoughtfully. "You know, back in high school, I never thought that I would see Alex choose anything over you. We all thought that he would jump off a bridge if you asked him to."

Angelica smiled pitifully. "People change."

"I'll say," Aaron agreed. "I never thought that Angelica Schuyler would put up with the kind of things that you put up with."

"Hey!" Angelica glared at him. "I'm doing the best that I can. Being married isn't easy. You'll know, if it ever happens to you."

Aaron shook his head, still smiling. "He walks all over you."

Angelica felt anger bubble up in her chest - not because of what Aaron was saying, but because he was right. In recent years, Angelica had let Alexander rule their marriage; choosing to walk away instead of biting back whenever he pitched a fit. As a result, he believed that he could treat Angelica any way he liked without needing to worry that she would leave. In high school, he wouldn't dare treat Angelica a notch below what she expected, lest she move on and find someone else.

"What am I supposed to do?" Angelica sunk back in her chair, resignation taking anger's place in the span of a few seconds. "I messed up. I really messed up. I didn't tell him about the baby, and now…"

"I'm not a marriage counselor," Aaron interjected. "I can't tell you what is or isn't right. I'm just saying - if the Angelica Schuyler that I knew in high school could see you now, she wouldn't marry that man. She'd hate what he's done to you."

"I should get back to work," Angelica remarked, grabbing her wine cooler off of Aaron's desk and heading for the door. "Someone has to make sure this company doesn't burn to the ground while Church is off playing with his new baby."

"You know I'm right, Angelica," Aaron called from his office. "What would high school Angelica say?"

* * *

"You look nice," Angelica looked Alexander over as he stood in front of the mirror, straightening his bowtie and frowning at his reflection. She walked behind him, setting her chin on his shoulder.

Alexander turned to look at her, his mouth curving into a small smile. "You're not so bad, yourself."

"Hmm," Angelica kissed his nose before backing up and adjusting her dress. "I'm glad you think so. You paid for this dress."

"And how much did I pay for that dress?" Alexander inquired as Angelica led him towards the front door.

"You can't put a price on beauty," Angelica teased, climbing into the car that had been sent for them.

"Uh-huh," Alexander grinned, looking her over. "So we're going to have to take out a second mortgage on the house, then?"

"It's not quite that bad," Angelica laughed.

"Mhm," Alexander looked out the window. They lived close to the White House already, so the drive was not going to be a very long one. "Do you remember the people we need to talk to tonight? If we're going to get the education reform bill passed, we need the media's support."

"Yes, I remember," Angelica rolled her eyes.

Alexander felt the need to coach her before all political events, reminding her of people's names, defining traits, and why she needed to talk to each of them. Angelica thought it was a bit patronizing, but knew that Alexander meant well. He just wanted everything to go perfectly throughout George's presidency.

"And no eye-rolling when we're there," Alexander was mostly joking. He nudged Angelica's shoulder and smiled. "Not even when you're talking to John Adams."

"Maybe I should just avoid him," Angelica smiled back slightly.

"And, uh…" Alexander hesitated, his eyebrows furrowing like he was thinking hard about something. "Jefferson is going to be there. I know that I can't tell you what to do, but if you could…"

"I'm not going to embarrass you, Alex," Angelica couldn't help but feel offended that Alexander didn't trust her to behave herself at a public event. "I have done this before, you know."

"I know," Alexander sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I don't worry about you as much as I do him."

"Well, stop worrying," Angelica advised him, allowing him to help her out of the car and into the glare of the constant paparazzi lights. "I'm sure that he's going to be on his best behavior, too. And if he isn't, I'll just walk away. Now, smile like you mean it. You look like you're about to go into battle."

"Hmm, no," Alexander chuckled, turning with Angelica to allow the paparazzi to get the best possible angles of them. "I think I'd enjoy going into battle more than I'd enjoy going into this."

Angelica rolled her eyes and pulled Alexander towards the event. She'd had enough of sharing him with the press. "It'll be over soon enough."

"Mm, not soon enough," Alexander sighed. "I think I'd better grab a drink before we get up there."

They were forced to sit at the main table, with George, John Adams, and the rest of George's cabinet. They only had thirty minutes to socialize before the cameras turned on and the event began.

"Is that Church?" While Alexander looked around for the bar, Angelica looked around for an ally. The moment she recognized Church's familiar form, her face lit up.

"Uh, yeah," Alexander murmured distractedly. "Do you want anything from the bar?"

"No, I think I'm going to go over and say hi," Angelica answered, also distracted. "I'll meet you at the banquet table, okay?"

"Sure thing," Alexander slipped out of sight as Angelica approached the table that Church was sitting at.

"Hey," She ducked her head forward, hoping that he wouldn't mind her interrupting whatever conversation he was carrying on with the editor of the Wall Street Journal. "Church. I thought that was you."

"Angelica!" Church exclaimed excitedly, his face lighting up. "I was hoping that I would run into you! Eloise, you know Angelica Hamilton."

"I don't believe I've had the pleasure," The editor forced a smile and extended a hand towards Angelica.

"I've read some of your work," Angelica forced herself to smile as she shook the woman's hand. "Specifically the ones about my husband."

"Oh, I -"

"Please excuse us," Angelica sniped, nodding towards the woman curtly before returning her attention to Church. If he was outraged by her behavior, he didn't show it. "So, Church, how are you? How's the baby? Is Theodosia with you tonight?"

Church shook his head, still grinning as the editor woman skulked away. "The baby and I are both fine. Theo wanted to stay home with the kids. I can't blame her. This kind of thing…neither of us really like it. Where's Alexander?"

"He's, um…" Angelica turned around to locate her husband. She finally caught sight of him talking with James Reynolds - a controversial blogger - by the bar. "He's over there, grabbing us drinks before the cameras roll. George has forbidden us from drinking anything other than one glass of champagne onscreen. He doesn't want SNL to get carried away with underage drinking jokes about Alex instead of focusing on the more political things going on tonight."

"They really do love making jokes about Alexander," Church chuckled, looking over in Alexander's direction. "I have to admit, I've laughed at a few of them. I can't imagine he's too fond of it, though."

"There's nothing he hates more than being laughed at," Angelica agreed, tearing her eyes away from where Alexander was laughing at something that James Reynolds said. "But hopefully things are turning around. Ever since John Adams tripped at the inauguration, they've started using some of their time to make fun of him, too."

A loud beeping noise rang through the room, giving warning that the cameras would be rolling in five minutes. Angelica smiled at Church apologetically as everyone began scrambling for their seats. "I had better go. I don't want to get caught showing up late to the table."

"It was good seeing you, Angelica," Church nodded, allowing Angelica to slip away. "I've missed you."

Angelica smiled at him before turning and approaching the table. She took her seat beside Alexander, who spared her a cautious look as the countdown to filming began.

"Everything okay at work?" He asked.

Angelica nodded. "Everything is fine."

"Good evening folks," The lights were blinding as George took the podium.

* * *

"Did you have fun tonight?" Alexander asked on the car ride home.

"Mm?" Angelica had been drifting off; it was a long night of fake smiles and gulps of champagne during commercial breaks. "Oh, um, I guess. It was nice to see Church again. Oh, hey, I saw you talking to James Reynolds earlier. Was he interviewing you for his blog?"

"No," Alexander looked surprised that she had noticed. "I was just asking him about one of his more recent posts. I was hoping that he would be willing to divulge one of his anonymous sources. He was not."

"He would probably tell you if you were at any other event," Angelica reminded Alexander with a soft smile. "But I could see why being surrounded by hundreds of journalists ready to throw him to the wolves might give him pause when considering breaking the code of ethics."

"I suppose you're right," Alexander agreed as the car pulled up in front of their house. Alexander climbed out first, circling the car before opening Angelica's door for her and helping her into out. "Although I doubt a great many of those journalists are very concerned about James Reynolds at all. Buying a domain name and writing an opinion piece whenever the whim strikes is hardly the same as competing to become the editor of the Times."

"Ah, but he has gotten the scoop before the papers a number of times," Angelica remarked, unlocking the front door and strolling into the living room, smiling at Alexander over her shoulder.

"He has also been sued for libel a number of times," Alexander chuckled, following Angelica up the stairs towards the bedroom. "I think he's nearly reached ten lawsuits."

"Who keeps suing that man?" Angelica couldn't help but ask as she shed her ball gown in favor of a pair of sweats and a t-shirt.

"People with too much money," Alexander chuckled, beginning to disrobe as Angelica plopped down onto the bed. "I don't think anyone has actually been successful in their suits against him."

"God bless that First Amendment," Angelica smiled.

"Don't say that around John Adams," Alexander winked at her as he threw on a pair of pajama pants and crawled into bed. "I think that he dreams of repealing the First Amendment just to stop everyone from criticizing him."

"Don't you?" Angelica grinned at him playfully.

Alexander pressed a kiss to her grinning lips and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "I'd rather just change everyone's minds."

"What about my mind?" Angelica asked, batting her eyes and trying to smile seductively.

"What about it?" Alexander inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"I think that there might be room for you to change mine," Angelica leaned forward, placing her hand on the back of his head.

Alexander just smiled at her for a moment - his gaze sad and sympathetic. "Goodnight, Annie."

He rolled over and turned off the light.


	18. Chapter 18

Church was at home watching the kids. Alexander was pacing the floors. Eliza was trying to pacify everyone, including herself. Both of the Washingtons were sitting in their private waiting area, stony-faced with fidgeting hands. Peggy and her irritating boyfriend were reading some book for their Russian literature course at Stanford. Angelica was staring at them all with wide-eyes, wondering how any of them could possibly act as though this day was anything but disastrous.

Eliza was in labor with hers and Alexander's second child. They were convinced that this one would be a girl. Alexander joked that with her mother's looks and his personality, the little girl would break hearts left and right without a second thought. Eliza scolded him for saying such things about a being who wasn't even born yet. Alexander had always been somewhat socially insensitive.

"I think I'm going to take a walk." Angelica might as well have kept quiet. No one looked away from Eliza. Eliza didn't look away from Alexander. Angelica wondered if this was how ghosts felt - forgotten and quite unheard.

She tried her best not to think about this as she backed out of the doorway. Not even Secret Service seemed to notice her. Fleetingly, Angelica wondered if she had, in fact, died and become a ghost.

This concern ended when Angelica noticed Thomas Jefferson standing in the hallway, talking to a nurse. His head was tilted. His eyebrows were furrowed. His right hand groped at his scruff-covered chin. He was having a hard time. Though she had not spoken to him in months, Angelica could read still read the man like a book. She wanted desperately to cross the hall and rub that spot just between his shoulder blades that made his posture slump.

She didn't.

She stayed where she was, looking at a man that she once loved. It was odd, knowing Thomas as well as she did without knowing what could have possibly brought him to the hospital. What book he read last. What he had for dinner the night before. If he was happy.

Thomas looked right back at her, his expression one of grim acknowledgment. He was the only person who had looked at her all afternoon. Angelica smiled at him gratefully. She thanked him by moving on, turning and walking towards the cafeteria.

When she reached the cafeteria, she ordered some bland salad that she wasn't really interested in eating. She also ordered a sandwich from Alexander, who hadn't eaten since their arrival at the hospital. Angelica suspected he hadn't eaten in far longer than that, though he would never give her a straight answer.

"Hi." As Angelica was looking through the bleak sandwich selection, Thomas had approached her. He was now standing beside her, looking thinner than he had when Angelica last saw him. He looked down at her with a reservation that wasn't at all like him.

Angelica's eyebrows furrowed as she turned her attention away from the sandwiches. "Tom. Hi."

"I saw you out there," Thomas jerked his thumb in the direction of the hallway that they had just shared. "And I just thought…well, I don't really know why…"

"How are you?" Angelica knew to cut Thomas off when he started to ramble. He smiled at her, relieved that she had not forgotten this.

"I have a daughter now." He didn't exactly answer her question, but that was okay. "Polly."

"Really?" Angelica tried her best to sound happy for him. "That's great, Tom. I think I saw something about that in the news a few months ago. How is she?"

"I don't know," Thomas admitted. "She's been staying with my sister."

"Oh." Angelica tried not to judge him for this. There was no telling where Johnny would be if Church weren't so invested in his upbringing.

"It isn't that we don't want her in the city with us," Thomas hastened to explain. "It's just that…well, Patcy's been sick. The doctors still aren't sure what it is. That's why we're here. We're almost always here, it seems. It's nothing for a baby to be around."

"Of course." Angelica pretended to understand solemnly.

They were both quiet for a moment, both considering the way that life had gone for them. Angelica wondered if she would ship Johnny off to live with Eliza, were Church too sick to care for him. Thomas wondered if Angelica was a good mother when she was home with her son. He wondered if she would be a good mother to their children.

"I miss you." Thomas broke the silence abruptly. "I-I've missed you since…"

"Me too." Angelica agreed far too quickly. That was okay. There was nothing to lose when it came to Thomas. He was one of the only people in the world with whom she could be honest.

"No," Thomas looked down at the sad-looking sandwiches. "It's not the same."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you don't miss me the way that I miss you," Thomas said it as though it were an established fact. "I believe that you miss me, but only the way that someone would miss their usual Thursday night plans. I miss you like I'd miss a limb."

"Thomas, I…"

"Excuse me, dear." An old man with a walking cane and a newsboy cap pushed between them to grab a sandwich that looked a dangerous hue of green.

"Why don't we sit down?" Thomas suggested, looking the man over with a combination of disgust and amusement. It was a classically "Thomas" look.

"Good idea." Angelica agreed, trying to be grim while the man shuffled slowly past them.

Thomas led Angelica to a table in the middle of the cafeteria. Angelica fleetingly thought of the salad that she hadn't yet paid for, but how much could the cafeteria miss one salad, anyway?

"I didn't plan for things to be this way," Thomas remarked as they sat down. He was looking down at his fidgeting hands. "I really thought that I could make it work with Patcy. I thought that if we tried hard enough, you would just be a nice memory to think about when I'm older. But then Polly was born and neither of us had time to take care of her. Shortly after that, Patcy got sick. It seemed like marriage brought more misery with it than you had ever given me before."

"Well, that's just not true." Angelica tried to make him feel better. "Don't you remember the time that I was two hours late for dinner the night of homecoming?"

"Oh, yeah." Thomas smiled vaguely. "Your excuse was that you were smoking under the bleachers with the varsity football team."

"Only the second string." Angelica smiled with the wave of her hand. "The first string was still playing."

"You always did know how to enjoy life that way," Thomas said wistfully. "I always envied that about you."

"I don't know that I'm doing any better than you are, Tom." Angelica protested. "My kid's a brat, I only see my husband twice a week at best, and most of the time that I see him, I'd rather be sleeping than going on the awful dates that he insists on planning."

"At least you can go on dates. Whenever Patcy is home, she's on every experimental drug on the market. I hate to admit it, but I don't remember what she was like before she got sick. She's been void of a personality for so long now that it just feels like there's a stranger in my home when she's around." Thomas frowned.

"Remember when we thought that getting married would be an adventure?" Angelica reminded Thomas with a sad smile. "I really thought that mine would be unlike anyone else's - something exciting and unprecedented."

"I thought that I'd marry you." Thomas chanced a look at Angelica. She smiled back at him piteously.

"I think that you lucked out on marrying Patcy instead," Angelica replied.

"I guess we'll never know," Thomas sighed, looking back down at his hands. "But I…I think that I'll always love you, Angelica."

"I think that I'll always love you too, Tom." Angelica scooted closer to Thomas, ignoring the stolen, wilting salad.

She placed her hand under his chin, encouraging him to look up at her again. When he did, she moved even closer, flicking her eyes up to meet his when their lips were just inches apart. She didn't want to do anything that would upset him - she wanted to respect his pleas to avoid making his marriage more difficult than it already was. Thomas stared back at her fearfully but determined. At length, he nodded just once, assenting. That was all that Angelica needed. She pressed one chaste kiss to his chapped lips, allowing herself to savor what she would lose when she left the cafeteria.

"I should go." Thomas breathed, resting his forehead against Angelica's. "The nurses will be wondering where I am. Patcy…she needs me."

"I know." Angelica would not make it difficult for him to leave. She tried to smile as she met his eyes.

"I love you, Angelica." Thomas finally broke away from her, climbing out of the cafeteria picnic-styled tables.

"I love you, Tom." Angelica returned the sentiment with a small smile.

Thomas hadn't waited to hear this. He was already halfway out of the cafeteria, his gangly legs carrying him farther and farther away in a remarkably short amount of time.

Angelica's eyes followed him, but once they caught sight of Alexander skulking in the doorway that Thomas was approaching, they could no longer stay trained on Thomas.

Thomas noticed Alexander after Angelica did, just as he was about to pass through the doorway. They exchanged icy looks. Thomas nodded at length. Alexander did not return the nod. He folded his arms across his chest and tried to look menacing. He did not look menacing, but he did look angry. Thomas did not care. He continued through the doorway without a word to Alexander. With his arms still folded, Alexander then turned his head to look at Angelica. His eyes were flaming.

Angelica crooked a small smile and got up from the table. She grabbed the stolen, wilting salad and approached Alexander. She offered the salad as a peace treaty, of sorts.

"I got you something to eat." She said lamely.

Alexander looked at Angelica like she had offered him poison. "Annie, I thought that you were done with him. You're both married, for Christ's sakes. What would poor Church say if he knew? He's at home taking care of your son, while you…"

"Alex, stop." Angelica closed her eyes and shook her head, feeling as though she could quite possibly be sick. "I could stand this lecture from anyone else, but I cannot stand it from you."

Alexander looked as though he'd been struck over the head with the wilting salad. "What do you mean by that? Annie - what the _hell_ do you mean by that?"

Angelica didn't answer him. He was looking at her like a caged animal. His eyes were wild, his hands were running through his hair, and he was talking a mile a minute. There was no getting through to him when he was this way.

"I think that I should go help Church with the kids." She said, shoving the salad into Alexander's arms while he continued to demand to know what she meant. He was acting as though she had alluded to some deep, dark mystery. Angelica briefly considered the possibility that Alexander was starting to guess that she loved him more than she loved air. It was about time that he realized it.

Given the anger that was in his eyes, though, Angelica would have preferred that he did not know it.

Angelica tried not to dwell on what Alexander knew, or thought he knew, as she escaped the confines of the hospital. She hurried through the crowded parking lot to her car, standing out only because it possessed the shine of a car that did not get much use. Angelica typically took cabs - she loathed city driving. When she opened the door and crawled into the car, she felt a wave of relief wash over her. She was safe here, where no one could possibly see the way that her shoulders slumped and her lips quivered.

She was so relieved that she spent the next two hours crying alone in her car.

 **Rewind**

Alexander's latest project was a bank. He was creating a new bank in New York, which he seemed to have decided needed personal oversight. He spent all of his time commuting between D.C. and New York. Angelica would sometimes tag along with him, mostly to visit family and friends, but it rarely made a difference. Alexander spent all of his time in the office, regardless of it was D.C. or New York.

One particular weekend, while Alexander was in New York, Angelica had decided to go into the office on a Saturday to get some work done before Church returned from paternity leave. This work was interrupted by a phone call from George Washington.

"Hey, George," Angelica didn't bother hiding her surprise. "What's up?"

"Alexander is…sick," George answered nervously. "I, uh, I think that it would be best if you came here."

"What's wrong?" Angelica was out of her seat in an instant, throwing all of her possessions into her bag with reckless abandon. "Is he going to be okay? Can I speak to him?"

"He's fine, he's fine," George hastened to assure her. "He just…got himself a bit worked up during one of our meetings about the bank in New York. Thomas got him spun up about zoning regulations blocking a bank's jurisdiction in Virginia, one thing led to another, and…well, he's on some anxiety medication now."

"Oh, my god," Angelica sighed, running a hand through her hair as she left the office building. "Is he…I mean…"

There was a loud thump on the other end of the line. George let out a groan. "Angelica, I've got to go. I, uh, I've put my assistant in charge of arranging a flight for you straight away. There should be a ticket waiting for you at BWI."

"Okay, thanks," Angelica climbed into her car and started it, loading directions to the airport on her GPS. Traffic was forecasted to be bad, but Angelica didn't care. She pursed her lips and clutched the steering wheel.

* * *

Angelica was able to find Alexander's hotel room without much difficulty. George, Thomas, and a slew of secret service members were standing outside of the room, guarding the door.

"Angelica," The tension in George's body relaxed at the sight of her. "Thank you so much for coming here on such short notice. Alex is…"

"Finally unconscious," Thomas contributed.

"Asleep." George amended, casting Thomas a look of disapproval. "I would like to stay around and make sure that he is okay, but I…"

"You're the president," Angelica understood. "You've got things to do. I get it. I'm sure that Alex does, too. Thank you for helping as much as you already have. I really appreciate it."

George nodded, glancing back at Alexander's door guiltily. "Then I suppose I had better get moving. I'm already late for a meeting with a few CEO's off of Wall Street. Alexander was supposed to come with me, but I'll work off of his notes. Please, call me if you need anything."

"Absolutely, Mr. President," Angelica agreed, nodding her head with a grin.

"Angelica," George smiled kindly. "You've known me since you were in high school. Please, just call me George."

"Maybe when my husband stops working for you," Angelica supposed, still grinning.

"Very well," George chuckled. He glanced in Thomas' direction, his smile fading. "Governor, we'll discuss zoning restrictions in Virginia at a subsequent date."

Thomas nodded as George turned on his heel and departed from the hallway.

Once George was out of eyesight - and more importantly, out of earshot - Angelica moved towards Alexander's door. Thomas stepped in front of the door, blocking Angelica.

"He was talking about it again," Thomas kept his voice low, looking around the hallway like he was expecting someone to jump out of any corner.

"What are you talking about, Tom?" Angelica asked impatiently, trying to step around him without much success. "Can I please see my husband?"

"The abortion," Thomas responded pointedly. "He was talking about it again - before the doctors sedated him. He was being very indiscreet."

Angelica felt her heart sink to her toes, but she forced herself to straighten her shoulder and stiffen her upper lip. "He's under a lot of stress."

"You don't have to put up with this," Thomas' voice took on an element of pleading that Angelica didn't love. "If you just left, maybe you could -"

"Tom," Angelica cut him off, trying to keep her voice calm. It trembled against her will. "Let me through."

Thomas sighed, stepping away from Alexander's door. "You know that you can call me, Angelica. Anytime."

"I know," Angelica smiled at Thomas sadly, reaching for the doorknob and turning it. "You're a good guy, Thomas."

She entered Alexander's room before Thomas could say anything else. She didn't want him to ruin the moment by demanding more of her than she was willing to give.

As she closed the hotel room door behind her, Angelica forced herself to look at the lump on the bed that was her husband. He was sprawled out, lying face-down with his head buried in a pillow. His soft breathing was the only sign of life radiating from his body.

"Alex?" Angelica took a cautious step towards the bed.

Alexander didn't stir.

"Alexander," Angelica was emboldened this time around. She closed the distance between herself and the bed, sitting down at the corner near Alexander's foot.

Alexander let out a loud snore. He only snored when he wasn't fully asleep. Angelica laid a hand on his back, rubbing gently.

"Alex?"

"Muh?" Alexander jerked his head upwards with a sharp intake of air. He turned to look at Angelica, his eyes unfocused and hazy. "Annie?"

His voice was slurred.

"Hey," Angelica smiled at him piteously. "Are you having a hard time, honey?"

Alexander smiled at her contentedly. "Annie, you're here."

"I sure am," Angelica sighed, realizing that Alexander would not be able to have much of a conversation while hopped up on anti-anxiety medication. "I thought that you could use some company."

"'m tired," Alexander huffed, turning over and flopping back onto the bed again. He let his eyes flutter shut. "Mm."

"I think that we need a vacation," Angelica remarked, running a hand through Alexander's hair. It had been so long since she had had him like this - vulnerable and trusting. She had missed it. "Don't you? Maybe take a break from all of this banking business?"

"I'm going to start the bank," Alexander insisted quietly, his eyes still shut. "You'll see. You're going to be so proud of me, Annie."

"I'm already proud of you, Alex." Angelica's eyebrows furrowed. Surely Alexander didn't think that she wasn't proud of him.

"No, you aren't," Alexander responded glumly. He opened his eyes, turning to look at her with a sleepy smile on his face. "But you will be. Just you wait."

Angelica just smiled and stroked his hair. "I love you, Alex."

"I love you too, Annie," Alexander's eyes closed as he smiled up at nothing in particular.

It had been a while since he had told her this and sounded like he meant it.

* * *

"I can't believe we're here again," Alexander surveyed Jefferson's vacation home critically, his expression thoughtful.

Once the anxiety medication had worn off, Angelica had broached the subject of taking a vacation with Alexander again. He had protested, but upon hearing about Angelica's suggestion, George had insisted that he take paid leave. He convinced Alexander that it was not out of pity - which it really was - but was instead out of self-preservation; if the press caught wind of Alexander's breakdown, no one would be willing to work with him anymore. Angelica had asked Thomas for the keys to his vacation home in France while Alexander booked them the first flight out of the United States.

"Believe it, babe," Angelica teased, handing Alexander a glass of Chardonnay. He accepted it, turning to look at her amusedly. Angelica let out a contented sigh as they looked out onto the Riviera from the balcony. "Why didn't you want to work with the French economy, again? This could have been our view every single day."

"I think we would probably live in Paris if I was working in the French government," Alexander reminded Angelica, taking a sip of the Chardonnay. He wrinkled his nose and set the glass down on the ledge. "Jesus, that's disgusting. Is this really what we drank when we used to come here?"

"Well, we were eighteen," Angelica reminded him, looking down at her own glass thoughtfully. "It was a step above the boxed wine that we were used to."

"What's Jefferson's excuse?" Alexander glanced back at her, his smile playful.

"Hmm…he just doesn't have the supreme pallet that we do," Angelica supposed amusedly. "Anyway, the wine doesn't matter. We can find something better anywhere around here."

"What does matter, then?" Alexander turned around to face Angelica, quirking an eyebrow.

"You," Angelica responded, leaning closer to Alexander and wrapping her arms around his neck. "And me. And everything in between."

"What's between you and me?" Alexander inquired, his mouth twisting into a grin that Angelica hadn't seen in far too long.

Angelica ran her eyes up the length of Alexander's body before smiling up at him, standing on her toes to press a kiss to his lips. "If I have my way - nothing."

* * *

After spending a few days at the Jeffersons' vacation home, reliving old days by drinking, laughing, and fooling around, Angelica and Alexander decided to make the most of their French vacation. Eliza was staying with Lafayette in Paris. Neither Alexander nor Angelica knew when Eliza had met Lafayette - let alone grow close enough to him to crash at his house during her stay in France - but they were glad for an excuse to see both Eliza and an old high school friend. They packed up their tiny rental car with their bags and set out for Paris, having arranged to stay at Lafayette's house with him, Eliza, and Lafayette's son for the weekend.

"Angelica! Alexander!" Eliza was the first one down the driveway, running down the gravel towards their car. Lafayette was a few feet behind her, holding the hand of what could only be his son.

"Eliza!" Angelica leapt out of the still-moving car, leaving Alexander to complete the process of parking. She ran straight to Eliza, catching her younger sister up in her arms. "Oh, I've missed you! Look at you! You look beautiful! And you're tanner than me! I don't think that you've ever been tanner than me before! How are you? How's France?"

"Good, good!" Eliza laughed, clearly too delighted to be disturbed by Angelica's series of questions. "I'm so happy that you're here! I've been hoping that you and Alexander would be able to travel a little bit while I was abroad, but I thought that with your jobs…anyway, I'm so happy to see you! How is Alex? It looks like the trip has done him some good."

"It has," Angelica agreed, turning to look at where Alexander was introducing himself to Lafayette's son. He looked at the boy wistfully - the way he looked at all children these days - but his cheeks were flushed and his eyes were alight. He looked much better than the dead-eyed, hollow-voiced man that Angelica had dragged out of New York. "It's been so good for him, and for us. To be honest, I don't know if I want to go back there at all."

"I don't suppose that he would go for that, huh?" Eliza asked Angelica with a sympathetic smile.

"No," Angelica laughed, shaking her head. "I don't think so. He loves his job way too much for that."

"What about your job?" Eliza took Angelica by the hand and led her into Lafayette's massive house. She seemed surprisingly comfortable as she led Angelica through the hallways into a sitting room. "Are you still working for John Church?"

"I am, and you know, I love it. When Aaron Burr first told me about the job, I thought it would just be a good filler for my resume, but honestly, I doubt there's a campaign that could entice me to leave in four years. Church is a great boss, the pay is great, and the work is just the right balance of challenging and redundant." Angelica answered, plopping down on one of the expensive sofas in the sitting room.

Eliza sat down beside her, smiling from ear to ear. "That's so great! I always liked John. How does Alexander feel about it?"

Angelica shrugged. "I think that on some days, if you asked him, he wouldn't even be able to tell you where I worked or what I did."

Eliza nodded thoughtfully. "I guess he's busy with his job?"

"I rarely see him anymore," Angelica sighed, sinking back into the couch. "I think that I've seen him more during this past week than I have since he was appointed as Secretary of the Treasury."

"Is he still upset about…you know…" Eliza raised her eyebrows and looked at Angelica pointedly.

Angelica shrugged, sighing again. "Yes and no. I think that this promotion has showed him that even if we had a kid, he wouldn't have the time to see very much of it. But then there's this less rational side to him that just aches whenever he sees a baby or hears about someone else having one. Even meeting Lafayette's little boy out there…I could see that that wasn't easy for him."

"Really? George?" Eliza looked over her shoulder like she expected Lafayette and his son to come running into the room.

"Yeah," Angelica looked at Eliza curiously. "So, you and Lafayette are friends now, huh? I don't remember you ever really talking in high school."

"We didn't," Eliza smiled, blushing slightly. "We actually hadn't spoken more than five words to each other before I got to France. Then I ran into him and George one afternoon at the market. I recognized him from high school, so I said hi, then he helped me buy a few groceries, asked where I was staying, and offered me the guest room if I ever wanted to get out of the hostile that I'd been staying at."

"That was so nice of him," Angelica matched Eliza's smile. She was relieved that someone was taking care of Eliza during her European adventures. "And I'm glad that you have a friend out here. Alex and I are always worrying about you."

"Please, don't." Eliza shook her head, her smile turning sympathetic. "You have enough to worry about as it is."

"Yeah," Angelica sighed, running a hand through her hair. She heard Alexander, Lafayette, and George come into the house, but their footsteps and voices carried up the stairs and away from the sitting room. Angelica smiled at Eliza slightly. "But we're doing better. I can't believe the difference that this vacation has made."

"How long are you staying?" Eliza asked, glancing back in the direction of Lafayette and Alexander's voices.

"I don't know," Angelica answered, following Eliza's eyes. "We didn't really discuss it. It was enough of a struggle getting him out of the country, and we've been enjoying our stay here so much that I don't really want to broach the subject."

Eliza quirked a smile. "Doesn't Washington mind him being gone for so long?"

Angelica laughed and shook her head. "I think that he's relieved to have a break from him, to be honest. Alex has enough people working for him that - unless the economy completely tanks - I think he could stay in France for an entire year without Washington minding."

"Annie!" Alexander's voice interrupted the conversation. "Come here! You have to see this view!"

Angelica smiled at Eliza amusedly before hoisting herself up off of the couch and tromping up the stairs after Alexander and Lafayette. Eliza followed after her at a slower, more reserved pace. Alexander was waiting at the top of the stairs, grinning from ear to ear.

"You've got to see this," Alexander grabbed Angelica's hand, nearly pulling her arm out of its socket as he led her a massive window in what might have been the guest bedroom. Out of the window, there was a clear view of Paris. Angelica could even see the Eiffel Tower, illuminated by the setting sun.

"We have to go," Angelica insisted, grabbing Alexander's arm in a vice-grip. "Tonight."

"Tonight?" Alexander turned to look at her, his grin not fading. "Annie, it's almost eight o'clock."

"Tonight." Angelica was insistent. "Laf, do you know what time they stop letting tourists in?"

"No time at all, if you know the right people," Lafayette answered with a sly smile. He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and flashed an ID that marked him as a diplomat. He looked down at George, who was looking up at him hopefully. "What do you say, _mon canard_? Would you like to go with us to the Eiffel Tower?"

"Could we get _des patisseries_?" The little boy asked hopefully.

Lafayette laughed. "No, George. You have had enough for the day, as it is. Eliza is spoiling you."

"Oh, but how could you possibly expect me to resist?" Eliza asked as she rounded the top of the stairs, draping her arms over George's shoulders and planting a kiss to the top of his head. "He's such a darling little boy."

Lafayette just shook his head, smiling at her.

"So we're going?" Angelica didn't want to talk about Lafayette's son too much. Alexander was doing so well during the vacation, but the man had a tendency to backslide.

"Do you want to go?" Lafayette was still looking at Eliza.

"If you don't need someone to stay here and watch George," Eliza answered as though it were commonplace for Lafayette to confer with her before making plans.

"I want to go, too!" George jumped up and down impatiently.

"Then you'll go, too," Eliza told him patiently. "Why don't we go get your shoes and jacket while your papa and Angelica work out the arrangements?"

"Okay!" George was more than happy to comply. He grabbed Eliza's hand and dragged her down the stairs as quickly as his chubby little legs could carry him. Everyone watched them go.

"She seems really happy here," Alexander broke the silence, nodding his head towards the stairwell where Eliza had disappeared.

"Do you think so?" Lafayette asked, a pleased smile spreading across his face.

"Sure," Alexander had a strange look on his face. "You're doing a good thing, Gil, looking after her the way you do. I'm sure you'll miss her company when she's off to the next country."

"Yeah," It was Lafayette's turn to look at Alexander strangely. Angelica raised her eyebrows, looking between them in confusion. Lafayette noticed and immediately smiled again. "But is it not every man's job to miss the Schuylers in their absence? Now, I suppose that we had better continue before the sun is completely out of the sky?"

Angelica grabbed Alexander's arm and wrapped it around her waist, growing impatient with the conversation. "Yes, please. Come on, Alex! Let's go!"

"Alright," Alexander chuckled, following Angelica out the door. Lafayette followed behind them, taking George from Eliza as they joined the two by the front door.

They ran through the streets of Paris. Lafayette suggested that they call a car, but Angelica wanted to see all of Paris in one night. She raced through the streets, pulling Alexander along with her. Lafayette, Eliza, and George hung back, just laughing at what a tourist Angelica was.

When they reached the Eiffel Tower, Lafayette only had to flash his ID and speak with the guard for a couple of minutes before he gestured for everyone to follow him.

"I can't believe that," Angelica remarked as they made the journey to the top of the Tower. She shook her head at Lafayette incredulously. "They let you access a national monument because you're a political figure!"

"Annie," Alexander laughed. "We know the President. We could probably have given him a call and gotten in without Lafayette."

"Ah, then perhaps I should have left you to your own devices." Lafayette winked at them.

"I'm just kidding, buddy," Alexander smiled at Lafayette good-naturedly. "We really appreciate this."

"Alex, look!" Angelica was leaning over the railing, looking down at Paris below.

"Get back from the edge, Annie," Alexander huffed, putting an arm around her waist and drawing her back a few steps. He was always so afraid of heights.

Angelica swatted his hands away, stepping forward again. She threw a careless grin over her shoulder. "I'm fine. There are barriers. Don't be so afraid."

"How have you lived this long?" Alexander asked, sighing as he watched Angelica lean over the railing. "You're reckless."

"And you love it," Angelica taunted.

"You're damn right," Alexander chuckled.

"Language!" Eliza chided, stepping forward and taking her place beside Angelica. She gestured back to where George was sitting on Lafayette's shoulders, trying to find his school somewhere among the mess of Paris.

Angelica just smiled, winking back at Alexander before moving closer to Eliza and placing her hand over her sister's.

* * *

"Good morning," Eliza looked up from the newspaper as Angelica schlepped into the kitchen.

"Coffee," Angelica grunted, eying the mug of coffee in Eliza's hands. "Where did you get it from?"

Eliza laughed. "I'll pour you a mug. How did you sleep last night?"

"Amazing. Do you know where Lafayette got that mattress? It must have cost him a small fortune. It felt like I was sleeping on a cloud." Angelica sighed contently, sinking into one of the dining room chairs. She accepted the mug of coffee that Eliza brought her. Eliza then settled back into her own chair across the table from Angelica.

"Ironically enough, it was remarkably cheap," Lafayette said from the doorway to the kitchen. Angelica jumped, startled by his unexpected presence. "The Prime Minister of England pawned it off on me after two nights in the mansion."

Eliza rolled her eyes, smiling at Angelica over a cup of coffee. "He loves namedropping."

"I do not," Lafayette argued as he shuffled into the kitchen, taking a seat beside Eliza. "The name was just part of the story."

"Mhm," Eliza looked him over amusedly.

Angelica couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow at the familiarity between the two.

Lafayette cleared his throat, possibly uncomfortable with the look in Eliza's eyes. "How long are you and Alexander staying with me? I tried to ask him when you first arrived, but you of all people must know that Alexander is difficult to pin down with an answer."

"I don't really have an answer for you, either," Angelica smiled at him apologetically, taking a sip of coffee. "This whole vacation just kind of happened to us. Is there any particular day that you'd like us out of your hair by?"

"No, no, of course not!" Lafayette was always so quick to make himself agreeable. "You may stay as long as you like."

"I doubt that'll happen. I keep waiting for the moment when we're going to get a call and Alex is going to insist that we need to go home." Angelica sighed, taking another long sip of coffee.

"I don't think that's going to happen," Lafayette shook his head dismissively, sauntering over to the coffee machine snootily placed on a cart in the corner of the dining room. "It seems like Monsieur Washington has a handle on the government."

He flipped on the TV at the other end of the room to emphasize his point. CNN came on, with some well-dressed newscaster handing out the "Breaking News" for the day.

"Oh, you're finally awake," Alexander scampered into the room, glancing at the TV before joining Lafayette at the coffee cart. Lafayette poured him a mug and headed it to him. Alexander accepted it with a grin and a nod. "Cheers."

He plopped into the seat beside Angelica. "Good morning, honey."

"Morning, you." Angelica looked him over. It didn't look like he had gotten much sleep the night before. "I didn't hear you get out of bed this morning. What time did you get up?"

"About four," Alexander answered, grabbing a piece of toast off of a platter at the center of the table. "I wanted to get a few things done before we had another day of fun."

"What did you need to do?" Angelica asked, hoping that Alexander was merely writing another bill or plan - nothing that required immediate action.

"Just review what my assistants were sending me," Alexander replied, taking a bite of toast and smiling at Angelica reassuringly.

"They're still emailing you?" Angelica huffed. She had been hoping that they would stop after a few weeks. She didn't want Alexander working when he was supposed to be avoiding stress.

"The economy doesn't take a vacation, my darling." Alexander reminded her with a patient smile.

Angelica rolled her eyes and sighed, but couldn't bite back a smile. The vacation really had done wonders for Alexander's temperament.

But that changed the moment that stock tickers began rolling across the screen of whatever news station Lafayette was watching. Alexander glanced at the screen passively before suddenly perking up, every muscle in his body tensing.

"Alex?" Angelica looked at him strangely.

"Buyer confidence is down," Alexander murmured to himself, setting the piece of toast down on his plate without looking away from the TV. "All of the prices have dropped by at least twenty percent."

"Alex," Angelica was warning him now. She knew that look in his eyes better than she knew the back of her own hand. The gears in his mind were already at work, scheming over what to do next.

"The treasury will have to restore consumer confidence before the market collapses altogether. With the student loan bubble, it could be catastrophic." Alexander was already out of his chair and headed towards the stairs.

"Alex!" Angelica followed him up the stairs, planting her hands on her hips as he dug the suitcase out from underneath the bed and began throwing his clothes into the case haphazardly.

"I have to go," Alexander spoke like Angelica didn't already know his intentions. "George won't know what to do about this, and the media will have a field day if they realize that I'm vacationing in France while the economy is going to hell."

"You have employees for a reason." Angelica reminded him, following him back down the stairs. "Let them deal with this!"

"Annie, this is my job," Alexander wheeled around to look at her, exasperated. "My employees only know to do what I instruct them to do. I haven't left a contingency plan for the collapse of the economy. I thought I had at least a year before I would have to worry about the student loan bubble bursting. I have to go, right now. If I know George - and I know George - he's already sent a plane for me."

"Then I'm coming with you," Angelica set her jaw and her mind simultaneously. "Give me a minute to pack my things."

"You're both going?" Eliza pouted, skipping out of the dining room to watch the debate taking place in the foyer.

Alexander glanced at Eliza, his expression softening a bit. He then looked at Angelica decisively. "No. Annie, you stay. There's no reason for your vacation to be cut short."

"I wasn't asking," Angelica's tone grew harsher. "Give me a minute to pack my things, then we'll go."

"Alright," Alexander ran a hand through his hair. "Fuck. Alright."

"It's going to be okay, Alexander," Angelica heard Eliza reassuring him as Angelica ascended the stairs to pack her things. She felt a pinch of jealousy as she pushed the door open to the guest room. "I'm sure that you'll find the perfect solution."

"I don't know about that, Betsey," Alexander sighed. "I've been at a loss for a solution to anything for so long, I'm not sure if I'd recognize what it would look like if it were right in front of me."

* * *

Alexander was right: George had sent a plane. It was waiting for them on a tarmac as soon as they reached the local airport. Alexander helped the porter place the suitcases in the luggage hold before sinking into the seat beside Angelica.

"You're going to figure it out," Angelica assured him quietly, taking his ink-stained hand in hers and giving it a gentle squeeze. "I know that you will."

"Mm." Alexander quirked a small smile in Angelica's direction. His eyelids sunk closed, but the smile remained on his lips. "No, you don't."

"Maybe not," Angelica conceded with a smile of her own. "But you're still young. You have your entire career ahead of you. What kind of story would a career finished at twenty-seven make?"

"A realistic one?" Alexander supposed sleepily. It was just around his usual naptime. Getting up at four in the morning tended to ruin his sleep schedule if he did not abide by a regimen of napping at opportune moments.

"Hm," Angelica wrinkled her nose, still smiling. "We've never been one for realism."

When Alexander didn't make his usual cunning remark, Angelica looked over at him curiously. It appeared that he had fallen asleep in the midst of their conversation, his head lolled into his right shoulder and his knees pulled up to his chest.

He looked so peaceful like this. So much like the boy that Angelica had met in high school. A boy without a care in the world other than who he would bring to the senior prom. A boy with an impish smile and sparkling eyes. A boy who had nothing to do but follow around the girl with whom he was desperately in love.

How Angelica missed that boy.


	19. Chapter 19

Thomas submitted his resignation letter to George the day after his wife died. Angelica was invited to the funeral. George wasn't. Neither was Alexander. It was like Thomas' wedding all over again, only with a wildly different attire and without the promise of inappropriate jokes with Dolley Madison. Probably. There was no telling what Dolley would do at events like these.

Angelica worried that her invitation would be rescinded when she was informed by her supervisor that she would have to cover the news of Patcy's death. Still, if choosing between her job and Thomas' happiness, Angelica would choose her job every time.

"Apparently, Former Secretary Jefferson has refused to give any news outlet a comment. In fact, reports indicate that he has been refusing to leave his house altogether. Only servants and employees have been spotted emerging from his home in Monticello." Angelica regretted the words as soon as they came out of her mouth. She hadn't wanted to report on anything about him at all, but the damned teleprompter had caught her off guard before she could even think to filter herself.

"And, cut!" The head of the crew called triumphantly. "Thank you, Mrs. Church. We have five on Anderson Cooper."

"Thanks," Angelica mumbled, tossing her microphone onto the news desk carelessly, storming off set.

"I have the research that you asked for on Secretary Hamilton's debt plan." Quincy was at Angelica's side the moment that she was off screen. He'd become invaluable to her since he started at CNN. She'd hired him after his summer of interning, offering to pay him almost as much as he would make as a prompt-writer.

"Thank you." Angelica sighed. "Can you get me James Madison on the phone, please?"

"Oh." Quincy looked visibly confused. "You usually call him off of your personal phone, don't you?"

"I do," Angelica replied, sifting through the research that he'd done during her newscast. "But I don't think that he'll answer his phone if he sees that it's me - not after that newscast. Good research, Quincy, but I do need more information on the percentage breakdowns. You know the viewers love a percentage breakdown."

"Of course. I'll have James Madison on the phone right away."

"Thank you, John."

"Angelica," One of Angelica's bosses beckoned her over. Angelica cast Quincy a pointed look before reluctantly joining her boss by the teleprompter. "One hell of a broadcast, honey. You got invited to Jefferson's wife's funeral, didn't you?"

"I did." Angelica's eyes narrowed. She loathed this man. If he didn't sign her paychecks on a monthly basis, she would have snapped his neck by now.

"That's what I thought, that's what I thought. Used to be lovers or something like it, didn't you?"

"My personal life is not up for discussion in the workplace, Jack."

He afforded her a patronizing smile that made Angelica want to scream. "'Course not. We were just thinking that if you were invited, you might like to do a special report. You know, the nation loves a tragedy like this one. People are calling it the death of the last human in D.C. A bit dramatic, if you ask me, but it would sure do some good for your ratings."

"No," Angelica growled. "Out of the question."

"Come on, now. You've gotta understand that in this business, you can't be as loyal to your friends as you might wanna be under -"

"I said no, Jack." Angelica looked over at Quincy, who had gestured towards Angelica's work phone. He had James Madison on the line. "That's the end of it. Now, I have to go take a call. Excuse me."

She slunk over to Quincy, who surrendered the phone and another page of research that he had somehow managed to compile during Angelica's conversation with her boss. Angelica shot him a thumbs-up before picking up the phone.

"James."

"Angelica, that was just wrong." Evidently, James had seen Angelica's newscast already. Bad news had a tendency of traveling quickly. "Reporting on Tom like he was just…some zoo animal…it's just…cruel. Tasteless. I thought that you were better than that."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," Angelica did feel a twinge of remorse. She decided against dwelling on it. "I just read what the teleprompter says. I had no idea that they were going to say anything about Tom or Patcy. It was my understanding that Becky had already done a report on it earlier in the week. Did Tom see it?"

"Yes," James answered. It sounded like his teeth were gritted. Angelica wasn't certain as to whether or not James was capable of harboring anger. She'd never seen him angry before. She wondered why she wasn't more amused by the thought. "He's asked everyone in the house if they think he should uninvite you to the funeral. He's worried that you would use it as some kind of publicity opportunity."

"I wouldn't." Oh, if only James had heard what Angelica had just said to her boss. "I wouldn't dream of doing anything that extreme. I really had no idea that they wanted me to talk about it tonight. I have my assistant read the teleprompter each week and look for words that are on my 'no' list, but I didn't think that Tom was in any danger of being discussed tonight. I refused to talk about him all of last week."

"Hm." James considered her answer. "Do you promise that you won't talk about it again?"

"Not in front of a camera, I won't," Angelica vowed. "Can I come see him, please? If I could just talk to him, try to work this out, I think that I could…"

"I don't think that that's a good idea," James answered quickly. "He really doesn't want to see you. Anyway, aren't you spending the weekend with your husband and son? Isn't that what you normally do?"

"James." Angelica reprimanded him gently. He was denying her the opportunity to apologize to Thomas out of jealousy, she was sure of it. He was better than that.

"I have to go." James insisted sulkily. "Tom hasn't eaten yet today. I need to make sure that he gets something in him before he falls asleep again."

"I'm sure I can't imagine what it is that you have in mind," Angelica said under her breath.

She could practically hear James' scowl in response.

"Goodbye, Angelica."

"Bye, James."

* * *

"I can't believe that you're going to that funeral." Alexander's pout looked just as it had when he was upset about Angelica going to Thomas' wedding. Gray hairs were starting to appear at his temples, but his lips still pursed and curved upwards when he was upset about something. He was usually upset about something. "Given all of the rumors that Jefferson is going to run against George next year. Everyone will think that CNN supports a Republican, for Christ's sake. How can CNN allow you to go?"

"I'm my own person before I'm an employee, Alex." Angelica reminded him indignantly. "I'd like to remind you that Tom - whatever faults he may have - is my friend. This is a hard time for him. He needs somebody there for him."

"He's got James. Isn't that enough?"

"You don't get to say what's enough." Angelica snapped.

"Alexander," Eliza sang his name, her small fingers dancing across the palm of his hand. Alexander looked away from Angelica, momentarily pacified. "Why don't you take Philip for a walk? He's starting to get fussy."

Alexander heaved out an exasperated groan, looking over at where Philip and little Angelica (aptly dubbed "Baby" to avoid mix-ups in the middle of the night) were playing. Philip _was_ getting fussy. He had knocked down the tower that he and Baby had spent a while building and was now pouting about it. He pouted just like his father.

"Fine." Alexander approached Philip and swung the boy up onto his shoulders. Philip's pout was immediately resolved. He grinned down at everyone from his great height. "But I'm not finished with this conversation."

"I am," Angelica called after him, watching Eliza cross the room to pick up Baby. "How can you stand it? Him always lecturing people on what they should do, and what other people might think?"

Eliza smiled at Angelica amusedly. "How do you think? I send him out on walks. They always calm him right down. Usually he doesn't want to bring Philip - he's afraid that the cold weather will harm his health - but every once in a while he will. Cold or not, it's good for Philip to get out when there aren't cameras around. Poor boy, do you know that one of his first phrases was "Mr. Hamilton"?"

"He'll be okay," Angelica said, mostly because she had to. They had to believe that Alexander's lifestyle wouldn't adversely impact his children. "Where does he go, on these walks of his? The city isn't a very interesting place to walk."

"Do you know, I haven't the faintest idea," Eliza replied, bouncing Baby on her knee. "Sometimes he comes back with toys or candy for the kids. I think he might just like to shop around. Whenever Philip comes back, he's always talking about some nice shopkeeper that he's met while out and about."

"Ah." Angelica considered it odd that Alexander managed to shop around the city without ever ending up in the papers for it. He must have found some back alley to walk through. "Maybe he'll bring us back a bottle of wine tonight."

"Oh, I hope not." Eliza laughed, shaking her head. "He's high-strung enough when there isn't alcohol involved. Wine only makes him giddy. That's the very last thing that we need tonight. Did you know that George invited Alexander on a retreat next month? He says that before the campaigning begins again, he wants to make sure that everyone has recovered from his first term."

"Really?" Angelica perked up. A retreat sounded heavenly, especially if Alexander was going. "Are you going along with them?"

Eliza laughed, shaking her head. "No, no. Someone has to stay and take care of these two little monsters. I couldn't ask Mama to watch them for longer than an hour. Philip especially would tear up the house. Even if they were well-behaved and Mama wanted to watch them, it sounds to me like George might have invited Thomas Jefferson following the death of his poor late wife. I don't want to be anywhere near Alexander when he finds out."

"I don't blame you," Angelica ventured a smile.

"Would you want to go?" Eliza asked, looking up at Angelica with a curious smile. Angelica raised her eyebrows, caught off-guard by the nature of Eliza's question.

"Don't you think that Washington would prefer to keep the retreat limited to his employees and colleagues?" Angelica was surprised that Eliza felt entitled to invite other people to the retreat. Surely she was not that close with Washington. Surely he would get mad at her if she invited someone to his retreat without asking; surely not even Eliza had that sort of power.

Eliza waved off Angelica's concern with a laugh. "You know I would never invite you, if I didn't know that George was already going to do so. He was talking it over with Alexander the other night. He thinks that it might help his numbers if he invited you to cover the retreat with CNN. Only the not-so-bad parts, of course. I don't think that he would like you shoving a camera in everyone's face when they're sleeping or eating or having some sort of serious conversation."

"You're serious?" Angelica's heart leapt against her will. An entire weekend with Alexander, no children, no Eliza to distract him. Angelica could hardly hope for such an opportunity. "You really heard them talking about it?"

"Alexander doesn't think that you'll have the time to go," Eliza said with a knowing smile. "He thinks that you'll want to spend the weekend with Johnny. You might have to say something if you do want to go."

Angelica bit her lip nervously. Alexander was always assuming that she was a better mother than she really was. It would be difficult to tell him that she would think nothing of skipping a weekend at home in order to go to a retreat with him and Thomas without Alexander thinking less of her for it. There was no way to explain to him that she loved the political world more than she loved family life. No good way, anyway.

Luckily, Eliza had her covered.

"Annie," Alexander stormed into the house about ten minutes later. Philip was on his shoulders. His little face was ruddy from the cold. "I have taken my walk, now we need to talk about that funeral some more. I've thought of nineteen different reasons that you should -"

"Honey, Angelica was just telling me that she would be interested in going to that retreat that George is trying to pull together." Eliza interrupted him pleasantly. She approached Alexander, removing Philip from his shoulders in one fluid motion while Alexander poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Really?" Alexander seemed to forget all about Thomas' wife's funeral. He looked up from his coffee with a surprised smile. "I thought that you would have resented us for even asking to impose ourselves upon one of your weekends. I know that you don't get to see Johnny and Church nearly enough."

"They'll understand." Angelica tried not to sound too carefree without much luck. "Besides, I feel like I'm the third wheel most of the time that I'm home. Those two practically have their own language."

"I know how that is," Alexander cast a knowing smile in the direction of Eliza, who had Philip sitting in her lap. Eliza smiled back at him playfully. "If you're really interested in going, we'd love to have you along."

"Are you sure that you're not just telling me about this because you think I want to go?" Angelica looked from Alexander to Eliza, trying to look stern. "I don't want to show up only to find out that Washington had no idea that I was coming. CNN would kill me."

"I can have him write you a formal invitation, if you'd like," Alexander teased, perching on the corner of the coffee table without committing to sitting in a seat. He grinned down at Angelica in a way that took her breath away. "Although he is fairly busy, as it is. You know, imminent war and all."

"Is that an official quote from the White House?" Angelica asked, crooking a smile. She knew it wasn't.

"Very funny." Alexander winked at her before removing himself from the table and padding over to the fridge. "So, you're definitely coming, then?"

"I'm definitely coming." Angelica was relieved that he didn't ask any more questions about Church or Johnny.

* * *

The retreat was the week after Thomas' wife's funeral. That was not a mistake - George figured that Thomas would need a break from reality after planning and going through a funeral. Eliza agreed to watch Thomas' daughter while he was on the retreat. No one told Alexander about the arrangement.

As soon as the bus - because, yes, George had rented a bus to take everyone to the retreat location - left the parking lot that they all met in, Angelica felt as though she had been transported back to high school. Alexander was throwing snide comments at Thomas, who was playing some app on his phone and pretending that he didn't hear Alexander. The rest of George's employees were excitedly chattering, some trying to say things to Angelica that they obviously hoped would make the CNN broadcast that night.

"Now remember," George told them all as they stood in the lobby of the hotel that he had completely rented out for the weekend. "There is no work this weekend. No secret meetings about getting bills on my desk, or complaints about someone else's political views. No discussing politics whatsoever, as a matter of fact. Just enjoy each other's company. Enjoy the beautiful nature that we're surrounded by. Enjoy yourselves. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir!" The employees gladly agreed to terms that they would break in a matter of seconds. George smiled like he believed them. He was pretty good at that.

"Of course," As George escaped center stage and approached Alexander, Thomas and Angelica. "That doesn't apply to you, Mrs. Church. I expect to watch your broadcast every evening, showing just how functional my administration is."

"I'll do my best." Angelica couldn't help but smile. "Although I think that these two might make it hard to show anything of that sort."

She gestured to Alexander and Thomas. Alexander had stolen Thomas' phone and was looking through the pictures. Thomas was trying to steal it back from him without much luck. One of George's interns was caught in the middle of the mess looking very much like she might cry.

George sighed. "Hamilton, give Thomas his phone back. I shouldn't have to tell you that - you are both adults. Thomas, go find your room. I think that you'll be relieved to know that it is across the hotel from Hamilton's. Hamilton, you have the room with the slowest internet connection. I hope you take that as a not-so-subtle reminder that you are not to work this weekend."

Thomas snatched back his phone, glowering at Alexander and Angelica before skulking in the direction of the disappearing crowd of employees looking for their assigned rooms. Alexander and Angelica remained behind. Alexander was gearing up to protest his room assignment. Angelica just liked to watch him when he argued.

"Sir, I have to get my debt plan through!" Alexander exclaimed angrily. "I know what you're trying to do, I really do, and I think it's great that you want everyone to work together so nicely, but I'm not like them. I don't have the time to set aside my work for a weekend. I'll still attend all of the team-building shit and make friends, swear to God, but I need to work this weekend."

"No." George folded his arms across his chest. "You especially need to take the weekend to relax. Don't think that Eliza didn't tell me what your doctor said about lowering your blood pressure."

"Wait, what?" Angelica looked from George to Alexander in surprise. Eliza hadn't said anything about Alexander's health to her.

"Don't worry about it. I'm fine." Alexander waved off her concern, not looking away from George. "Sir, I really think -"

"This is not up for discussion, Alexander," George said firmly. "Now, I'm going to go to my room to get some sleep for the first time in what must be two years. I suggest that you do the same."

George turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Alexander to argue with air.

"I can't believe this," Alexander grumbled, picking up his suitcase and starting down the hallway to look for his own room. "It's such bullshit. Do you know that Betsey took my laptop out of my bag when I left this morning? I didn't notice until we were already on the bus. She left a note telling me that it was for the best. I bet George bribed her to do it."

"If your blood pressure is a problem, I wouldn't be surprised if she did it all on her own," Angelica remarked with a shrug. "Eliza cares more about you than your job, you know."

"Yeah, well. We'll see where that gets her when we can't afford to feed our kids." Alexander frowned, glaring down at his shoes. He paused in the middle of the hallway, suddenly looking over at Angelica. "Did she tell you that she's pregnant again?"

"What?" Angelica dropped her own suitcase on her foot out of pure shock. She winced at the pain and scooped the bag up again. "I mean, congratulations. Wow. Three kids. That's…congratulations."

Alexander shook his head. It was then that Angelica saw how tired he looked. "I don't think that she realizes how much it costs to feed them. Clothe them. Make sure that they go to the best preschools in the city. To maintain the perfect backyard that is so goddamn important to their health. Sometimes I think about what my life would be like if it were just me. I would have time to take trips like this. I could focus on parts of my job that interest me without fear of losing my job. I could run for office, myself."

"Alex," Angelica warned him softly. As someone who frequently second-guessed her decisions and what might have been if she had not made them, she knew the dangers of dwelling on what could have been. "You love your family."

"I do." Alexander agreed. "I just wonder what might have happened if I'd loved myself more."

"I think that we should listen to George," Angelica suggested. "For once. I'm going to go get some rest before the awful ice-breakers and games begin. I think that you should do the same."

"Annie," Alexander protested.

Angelica just smiled at him piteously before turning and walking towards her own room. It was going to be a long weekend.

* * *

"Thank you for this," Alexander's eyes were just as bright as the stars decorating the sky above him and Angelica. They were sitting on the roof, books littering the rooftop around them. Alexander was writing half of his bill by hand, working off of the already-written half by memory. Angelica was flipping through books that she had purchased to help him with his research, highlighting sections that she thought he needed to read. Mostly, though, she was enjoying the feeling of being close to him. "I know that George would be furious with you if he knew that you were helping me. Betsey too, probably."

"I don't think that either of them would be very surprised. Neither of them could possibly believe that you would voluntarily go a weekend without working, especially not when your debt plan is getting so close to getting through Congress." Angelica replied, her tongue jutting out of her mouth as she read through a particularly complex passage in an outdated economics textbook.

"Still," Alexander spoke firmly enough to force Angelica to look up from the books. "You didn't have to do all this - get these books, help me draw these charts…any of it. I really appreciate that you did."

"Anything to spend a few quiet minutes with Alexander Hamilton." Angelica phrased it like a playful remark, but they both knew that it was anything but.

Alexander quirked a small smile. "You know, if this all goes to hell, I might have to work at some shitty law firm to make enough money to support Eliza and the kids. This would be my life every single day."

"Grim." Angelica surveyed the situation with a frown.

"Yeah," Alexander agreed. "Think you'd be interested in being my paralegal?"

"No chance." Angelica couldn't help but laugh. "You would be the worst boss."

"That's not true," Alexander protested playfully. "You always get your way when we disagree. Besides, you know more than I do. You'd always be right."

"I'd never leave your office."

"I thought that you liked spending time with me?"

"I think that might be pushing it."

Alexander smiled grimly, running a hand through his hair as he looked up from his writing. He locked eyes with Angelica. His eyes really did look extraordinarily bright under the starlight. "Annie, I…"

He was going to say it.

Angelica sucked in a breath.

"You're my best friend."

Okay, maybe not.

Angelica fumbled for a smile as her heart sank to her toes. She stared into those beautiful eyes, forced to be friends with a man she'd been in love with since high school. "You're mine, Alex."

Oh, if only he were hers.

 **Rewind**

Angelica had forgotten how lonely her lifestyle in America was until she had returned from France. She was home alone - which had once again become the norm - making dinner for herself when there was a sudden knock on the door. Angelica set down her label, staring at the door confusedly. She wasn't expecting any visitors, and Alexander never knocked. If he had locked himself out, he would have either called or driven back to the White House and slept there for the night.

The knock came again. Angelica sighed, wiped her flour-covered hands on her pants, and approached the door. As a third knock thundered through the house, she stood on her toes to peer through the peephole.

Her relief was immeasurable when she saw Eliza standing on the doorstep. That relief was tempered by the look in Eliza's eyes.

"Eliza?" Angelica invited her in straight away. Eliza scurried over the doorstep, dropping her bags by the couch. "Honey, what's wrong? I thought that you were supposed to be in Italy!"

"I had to come home," Eliza looked at Angelica with big, brown bambi eyes. "I'm sorry, if this is a bad time, I could stay with Mama and Papa, I just…"

"No, no, you know that you're always welcome here." Angelica tried to get a good look at Eliza as she spoke. Eliza was avoiding her eyes. "I'm just surprised to see you here. What happened? Was it that guy?"

Eliza had told her about a man that she met in Spain a few weeks prior. She had regaled Angelica with gushing tales of his braverism, his good-humor, and his striking looks. As far as Angelica knew, all had been going well before Eliza showed up at her doorstep.

Tears welled up in Eliza's eyes. "I don't…"

"I'm making dinner," Angelica could tell that she touched a nerve and was eager to fix it. "Alex is working late again. I'd love some company, if you're hungry."

Eliza nodded, struggling to blink back her tears.

Angelica smiled, taking Eliza's small hand in hers and leading her towards the kitchen.

* * *

"Care for a drink?" Church asked as he locked up the office, with Angelica standing just behind him. He turned to smile at her kindly. Once Angelica had returned to the States with Alexander, she and Church had resumed their nightly pattern of being the last people in the office and proceeding to the bar after closing up the office.

"Not tonight," Angelica couldn't remember another time when she had turned down such a request. "Eliza is back in town."

"Is she really?" Church didn't seem bothered by the rejection. He kept on smiling as they walked towards the parking garage which housed both of their cars. "I don't see how she could tire of being a globe-trotter."

"Some boy broke her heart," Angelica spoke quietly, as though there would be someone standing nearby, ready to eavesdrop. "I think it's curbed her appetite for adventure. At least, for a little while."

"What's she going to do now?" Church inquired politely. "Am I to expect another Schuyler sister to be working at my office?"

"I don't think so," Angelica laughed, shaking her head. "I doubt that Eliza would like that any more than you would. I can't imagine what she'll want to do. Going from Europe back to working…" Angelica let out a sigh, smiling. "I'd rather just work up until retirement. That way I don't know what I'm missing out on until I have the rest of my life to enjoy it."

"Oh, yeah? Where do you want to go when you retire?" Church asked as they neared Angelica's car. He always walked her to her car before walking to his own. He was archaically chivalrous in that way.

"Hmm," Angelica wrinkled her nose and looked upwards as she mulled over Church's question. "I don't know."

"Not France?" They had stopped by Angelica's car. "Now that you've already had that adventure?"

"I liked France," Angelica dug through her purse for her keys. "It was peaceful."

"I can't imagine you enjoying anything peaceful." Church looked Angelica over with an amused grin. If anyone else had said something like that to Angelica, she would have socked him. With Church, though, she could only smile and shrug sheepishly.

"Alexander has inspired a love of peace," Angelica admitted, reaching for her car door handle. "I'll see you tomorrow, Church."

"See you tomorrow, Angelica," Church lingered for just a moment longer than usual. He looked at her strangely, like he was trying to remember something. It was possible that he was remembering an assignment that she had neglected to turn in that afternoon.

"Church?" Angelica cocked her head, returning the strange look.

"I'm sorry," Church shook his head and stumbled backwards a few steps. "Uh, have a nice night, Angelica."

He turned around and walked towards his car. Angelica watched him for a moment before closing her door and starting her car. His behavior was forgotten almost the moment that she drove out of the parking garage.

When Angelica pulled into the driveway of hers and Alexander's house, she saw that the lights were on. Either Alexander or Eliza were home. Most likely Eliza. Alexander hadn't come home since Eliza's arrival. It was more likely than not that he didn't even know that Eliza was in the country.

As Angelica unlocked the front door and stepped through the doorway, she was greeted by at least 5 dogs - maybe closer to 20.

"Angie," Eliza materialized behind the crowd of dogs, smiling at Angelica abashedly. "You're looking radiant today."

"Eliza, why are there dogs in my house?" Angelica cut straight to the point, inching forward in an effort to escape the gaggle of dogs jumping up and barking in an effort to get pet.

"I went to the shelter to sign up to volunteer," Eliza spoke quickly, wringing her hands as Angelica freed herself from the pack of dogs and threw her bag on the couch. Angelica turned to look at her, frowning. "But did you know that the nearest shelter is a kill shelter? All of these dogs were going to be put to sleep if they didn't find a home for them by the end of the day!"

Angelica sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. It was hard to hear herself think over the din of the barking dogs. "How many are there?"

"Eight," Eliza answered guiltily.

"Eight?" Well, it was less than Angelica had originally thought. Still, she shook her head and looked around her already-destroyed living room. "Eliza, we can't have eight dogs. We barely have the time to take care of one dog. And even if you could stay here for the rest of their lives to take care of them - just look at my house after one day. I can't even imagine what the backyard must look like. The Home Owners Association will riot."

"Are you asking me to get rid of them?" Eliza's eyes welled up with tears.

Angelica's heart sank. "I'm…" She sighed. "No, of course I'm not asking you to get rid of them. I just…would you think about finding new homes for them, if the opportunity strikes? We can afford to foster these dogs in the meantime, but we can't afford to keep them indefinitely."

Eliza's face lit up again. "I knew that you would understand! Look at them, Angie, you're their hero! Just think of where they would be without you!" She swept Angelica into a hug before she could begin to regret the allowance of eight dogs to stay in her cramped, two-floor house.

* * *

Angelica had warned Eliza not to expect Alexander to come home in the near future. He was trying to get a government-sponsored bank off of the ground to lessen the impact of the collapse of several banks following the student loan crisis. He slept at the office nearly every night. He had his own wardrobe, toiletries, and bed at the White House.

Perhaps that was why, when the dogs started barking and howling at midnight, Angelica felt a tinge of concern in her chest. When she heard Alexander swearing loudly over the ruckus that the dogs were causing, a smile cracked across her face.

"Alexander!" Eliza was out of the guest room and down the hall before Angelica had even climbed out of bed.

"Betsey?" Alexander called up to her in surprise.

Angelica quickly slid out of bed and joined Eliza at the top of the stairs. Alexander was sitting on the floor, surrounded by dogs laying on their backs who were begging for a belly rub. With Angelica now chaperoning the proceedings, Eliza glided down the stairs towards him. The dogs parted like the red sea, somehow knowing that this interaction was more important than their introduction to Alexander.

"What are you doing here?" Alexander's surprise gave way to delight. He stood up in one smooth motion, taking a few steps forward to get to Eliza faster. "I thought that you were in Italy? Annie, how long…?"

He finally tore his eyes away from Eliza long enough to look at Angelica. Angelica was relieved that his smile did not pale when it was no longer aimed at Eliza.

"She just arrived two days ago," Angelica supplied with a patient smile. "And the dogs arrived yesterday. Or…earlier today, depending on how you look at it."

"I'm sorry," Eliza's words were the only apologetic thing about her statement. She was smiling from ear to ear, radiating a happy energy that seemed to be contagious. She was lit up like a Christmas tree at the very sight of Alexander. "Angelica said that it was okay."

"Please, don't apologize," Alexander shook his head, grinning. "This is great. This is probably one of the best surprises I've had in ages."

Angelica tried not to let herself take offense to that statement.

"Oh, good," Eliza's shoulders relaxed as Alexander sunk to the floor to play with the dogs again. His suit was getting coated by layers of slobber and hair, but he didn't seem to notice or care. He even let the dogs use his expensive, Italian leather shoes as a chew toy.

"Who are they, though?" Alexander looked from Eliza to Angelica curiously. "Not ours?"

He knew that Angelica would never adopt eight dogs in one day. That was more obviously Eliza's territory of behavior.

"Eliza rescued them from a kill shelter while I was at work," Angelica explained, folding her arms across her chest and looking over at Eliza with an amused smile. "I told her that we would foster them until she found them a new home without the threat of death looming overhead."

"Annie, you're a martyr." Alexander grinned.

"It was Eliza's doing," Angelica reminded him, knowing that he was giving Eliza credit in his mind, anyway. "I just told her that they could stay for a little while."

"Awesome," Alexander was too distracted with the dogs to think too much about Angelica's words.

Angelica yawned. It was way past her usual bedtime. Unlike Eliza, she couldn't shine like polished silver at all hours. "Have you had dinner yet?"

"I got something on the way," Alexander waved one hand in the direction of a greasy brown bag. One of the dogs currently had its head in the bag. Judging from the movements of the dog's body, Alexander's dinner was currently being devoured.

Eliza looked at Angelica in askance. "I can make him something…I have to administer one of the dog's medicine in an hour, anyway."

"Don't stay up on my account, Annie." Alexander agreed straight away. "I know that you have work tomorrow morning."

"Are you sure?" Angelica asked helplessly, looking at Alexander as Eliza scurried towards the kitchen. "I could stay up with you, if you have some work to do."

Alexander shook his head, crawling onto the couch and smiling as half of the dogs jumped on top of him. "Don't worry about it, Annie. No more work tonight. George sent me home and insisted that I got a good night's sleep before I looked at the problem again."

"Okay…" Angelica was loathed to leave Alexander in Eliza's care, but there was little else that she could do. Eliza was the better cook; Angelica was better at work. If Alexander had no work to do, Angelica would be useless to him.

With a sizeable amount of reluctance, she turned and walked down the hall to her bedroom once more. The sound of dogs barking and Alexander and Eliza's laughter haunted the halls well past three in the morning.

* * *

When Angelica descended the stairs the next morning, Alexander was sound asleep with three dogs sprawled across his body. They were surrounded by dog toys that Eliza must have bought, as well as the torn up remnants of Alexander's once-expensive shoes.

"Good morning, Angie," Eliza was already sitting at the kitchen table. She smiled as Angelica approached. "I hope we didn't keep you up last night."

"Not at all," Angelica responded dismissively. "What are you doing up so early? I thought that you would be knocked out after such a long night."

"I had to put some of the dogs outside," Eliza replied warmly. "The older ones have much smaller bladders than they used to."

Alexander murmured in his sleep, rolling over and jostling at least two of the dogs in the process. Angelica smiled at the sight of him before turning to Eliza. "Do you want to go out for some coffee? I was just going to make some before work, but I don't want to wake Alex up. Sleep is so rare for him."

"I would love to." Eliza agreed, nodding emphatically.

"Great," Angelica crept across the living room, flinching as the floor creaked and groaned beneath her impractical heels. She opened the door as softly as she could, but it squawked as it was separated from its wooden doorframe. She smiled at Eliza abashedly before gesturing for Eliza to follow her out the door. Eliza did so, gliding across the room without causing a single sound. She seemed to float without any effort at all. Angelica seemed to be only capable of sinking.

* * *

"Have things been better?" Eliza asked as soon as she and Angelica found a seat near the back of Angelica's favorite coffee shop. "Between you and Alexander, I mean. It seems like you are; you seemed so happy in France."

Angelica shrugged. "Things were easier in France. He had nothing to do other than spend time with me. Now that we're back…well, you saw. He rarely leaves the White House."

"But he seemed to be in good spirits when he finally did," Eliza was determined to be optimistic. "Surely that's a good sign."

Angelica took a long sip of coffee, thinking. "The wound might've healed, but…there's still a scar. He still wants children, and he still resents me for taking that away from him. We get along just fine superficially, but I don't know if this is sustainable. At least, not when we're both constantly using work to avoid one another."

"Why don't you ask him to come home more often?" Eliza wondered.

Angelica rolled her eyes, her mouth twisting into a smile. "Alex wouldn't comprehend such a request. His work is his life. I know better than to ask him to scale back."

"But he still wants children, busy as he is?"

Angelica shrugged and nodded.

"What are you going to do? I mean, eventually you'll have to choose if you ever want to…you know."

"I don't know," Angelica answered, staring out of the massive window of the coffee shop. She envied passerbys and their unknown, probably simpler problems. "I really don't. Presently, my plan in its entirety is to hope that it just passes."

* * *

"How are you smiling? We've been in this goddamn airport for five hours," Aaron Burr grumbled, resting his head on his forearms, which were folded across the counter of the airport bar in which Angelica, Alexander, Aaron, Thomas, James, and Dolley had been waiting since the early hours of the morning. "I swear, if they announce one more delay, I'm gonna…"

"Flight 244 is now boarding," As if on cue, a woman's voice declared that their flight was now prepared to go.

Aaron grabbed his carry-on bag and took off through the massive halls of the airport without another word to his traveling companions. Angelica and Alexander exchanged amused looks before recovering their own possessions and following after him.

They were traveling from D.C. to New York for the weekend to attend a hastily-planned high school reunion. Alexander had not particularly wanted to go, but upon hearing that Angelica would go with or without him - and with Thomas tagging along for the ride - he reluctantly bought tickets for the same flight as her.

Thomas hadn't been shocked when Angelica arrived to the airport with Alexander in tow; by now, he was used to Angelica and Alexander arriving as a packaged deal. It was obvious, however, that Aaron was avoiding Alexander at all costs. Ever since causing the rift in Angelica and Alexander's marriage, he had very obviously clung to Angelica while fleeing Alexander. Angelica knew that this behavior irritated Alexander, but did not want to abandon her friendship with Aaron because of an extremely unfortunate mistake.

The flight to New York was uneventful. Alexander did work. Angelica read a book and tried to pretend that she hadn't really wanted to speak to Alexander during the flight, anyway. When the plane touched down, she waited for Alexander to stuff his laptop into his backpack before she closed her own book.

"I'm hungry," He remarked, looking at Angelica as they emerged from the plane and walked straight through the airport. "Are you?"

"I am," Dolley contributed, always feeling the need to vocalize her two-cents.

Alexander glanced at her before turning to look at Angelica, waiting for her response.

"I could eat," Angelica shrugged.

"Why don't we drop our stuff off at the hotel, then go to the old mall for a bite to eat?" Alexander suggested, shrugging. "Like old times?"

"Sure," Angelica agreed, lacing her hand through Alexander's. "Like old times."

"I'm hungry, too," Thomas called over his shoulder from the baggage claim area. He had been the only one who had packed a suitcase beyond a mere carry-on. "Wait for me - I just need to get my bag!"

"You're not invited," Alexander shot back coldly, not even turning to look in Thomas's direction.

"We'll wait with you," James offered, holding Dolley fast by the hand. She tugged her hand away unhappily, a pout forming on her face.

"Let's get moving," Alexander advised Angelica quietly, hurrying his step. "I don't want them catching up."

Angelica rolled her eyes, cracking a small smile. "I thought you said that you would be civil with Thomas this weekend."

"I did," Alexander agreed, escorting Angelica and hailing the first cab within sight. Given his recognizable identity, it wasn't too much of a struggle to procure a car. "But I didn't say that I would be his best friend. We can go to lunch without him and still remain civil."

"I suppose you're right," Angelica rolled her eyes again as Alexander gave the cab driver the directions to the mall. "Although you know that Thomas won't see it that way."

"He'll only resent me insofar as I stole your attention away from him for a fleeting moment," Alexander assured her. The cab pulled up in front of the mall. Angelica forgot how simple Albany traffic was in comparison to D.C. traffic.

Alexander overpaid the cab driver - as usual - before getting out of the cab and helping Angelica out behind him. They walked into the mall, looking around at the stores that had changed, that had stayed the same, and that had morphed into department stores.

"How about here?" Alexander finally stopped in front of a small restaurant. He looked at Angelica as though it were just any old restaurant. "Looks like they have pasta, mostly."

Angelica pursed her lips and struggled to sound normal. "Sure."

It was the same restaurant he'd taken Eliza to years ago, when she was just a sophomore who had passed out during a gory movie.

* * *

"This is where he bought his cigarettes," Alexander's mental health had quickly deteriorated as he spent more and more time in Albany. Currently, he was taking a grand tour of all of his former haunt spots as a high schooler. One such spot was a 7-Eleven where he apparently bought cigarettes. He had been talking a lot about John Laurens in particular. Lafayette and Hercules Mulligan had both declined to attend the reunion last minute; Lafayette claimed that he could not leave his son, while Hercules said that he couldn't take any more time off of work without risking getting fired. Their absence made John's absence more obvious, it seemed. Whenever anyone mentioned either Lafayette or Hercules, Alexander launched into a narrative about John Laurens. "He always asked for the pack nearest its expiration date."

"Why did he do that?" Angelica was trying to be supportive and engaging, while watching Alexander for any sign of regression. She didn't want to give Thomas the satisfaction of seeing Alexander have a breakdown twice.

Alexander smiled softly. He looked ten years younger when he softened that way. "Because that way, when I told him to slow down on them, he'd say 'I can't, Alex. They'll go bad if I don't use them up fast.'"

Angelica smiled. "He was smart in all the worst ways."

"He was a good guy," Alexander stuffed his hands in his pockets and started to walk away from the store. "Beneath it all, he really was. He just didn't give a shit about himself, was all. He would have sold his soul to give someone else a moment's comfort in a heartbeat."

"You especially," Angelica took Alexander's always ink-stained hand in hers as they walked down the street towards the café which saw countless high school dates from both of them. "He loved you, Alex."

Alexander shrugged, his hand tightening around Angelica's reflexively. "I was a dick to him. I was a dick to everyone in high school, really."

"Yeah," Angelica agreed with a small smile. "But he was a dick to everyone, too."

Alexander chuckled as they continued down the street.

* * *

"You're right," Alexander admitted, taking a sip of his overpriced cocktail from the hotel bar. "This does make me feel better."

"Knew it." Angelica declared smugly, smirking at Alexander before turning to look at the object of their amusement: Thomas Jefferson.

He had been unsuccessful at baggage claim; the airline had lost his luggage. As he was something of a bad flyer, Thomas had carelessly thrown on sweatpants and an old, paint-stained t-shirt before taking a Xanax and falling asleep on the plane. Now, that pair of sweatpants and that ratty t-shirt were the only clothes that he had to wear through the weekend. With the press looming around, Thomas would have rather died.

So, when Dolley and James insisted that they go out instead of hiding in the hotel all weekend long, Thomas did as best he could to scrounge up some clothes. He had managed to find a questionably short pair of shorts in the hotel gift shop - the words "I Love Albany" were written across the ass - and had matched the shorts with one of James' tiny shirts. This was the outfit that he had chosen to wear to the hotel bar that night. When Angelica caught sight of him, she knew that she had to bring Alexander down for a nightcap - seeing Thomas looking so ridiculous could only improve his spirits.

"I mean, he looks like he missed his flight to Spring Break in Cancun," Alexander was delighted. He craned his neck, looking around the crowded bar. "Please tell me that there's someone from the press here. I need to see Jefferson's awkward side-ball on the news."

"What are you looking at Tom's side-ball for?" Angelica asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Alexander rolled his eyes, still grinning. "You know what I meant."

"Hmm," Angelica purred, swirling her drink with a cocktail umbrella. "I think I might be jealous."

"I thought that I was supposed to be jealous of your connection with Jefferson's balls," Alexander finally relaxed back against his seat, his glass raised to his lips and his eyebrows quirked as a silent challenge. "How's that going, anyway? Have you been seeing him lately?"

"Alex," Angelica warned, the smile fading from her lips.

"I know," Alexander agreed, dropping his eyes and setting his drink on the table. His eyes flicked up to look at Angelica in askance. "It's just…it's not always easy for me. I know that you think it is; I know that everyone else thinks that it is, too. I've heard the rumors that I'm always at the House because I'm avoiding you - it'd be hard not to, since your sister conveniently emails me every single article written on the matter."

"Eliza?" Angelica couldn't believe that Eliza would do anything so mean-spirited.

"Peggy," Well, that was easier to believe. Judging from the ghost of a smile on Alexander's face, he wasn't offended by Peggy's confrontational approach. "But Annie, you have to know that there's nothing in the world that I want more than to be there for you when you need me. I just…my job is…"

"I know. I understand." Angelica said, even though she didn't. "You're trying your best."

Alexander pretended not to hear her, most likely because they both knew that he wasn't. "I know that Jefferson isn't always at work, like I am. Mostly because I have to believe that the lack of quality in his work reflects the lack of time he spends on it."

"Alex," Angelica sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Where are you going with this?"

"I'm just saying that I know that he's there for you, and I'm not," Alexander slumped down in his seat a bit. "And I'm trying to make you understand that my absence is not a resignation of our marriage. It's just an obligation that I need to take care of to make sure we have enough money to pay the bills at the end of the day."

"You also happen to love that obligation." Angelica reminded him.

Alexander quirked a small smile. "That makes being separated from you a little more bearable, but still intolerable."

"I still don't know why you're telling me this," Angelica confessed.

"Me neither," Alexander's smile widened a bit. He picked up his drink and took a lengthy sip. "I just thought that you needed to hear it."

Angelica looked at him strangely. She was about to ask a few more questions, try to get to the bottom of his strange behavior, but before she could, Alexander was out of his seat and pointing at Thomas.

Across the bar, Thomas had dropped his cell phone and was attempting to pick it up in his little booty shorts. At least three people had their phones pointed in his direction, presumably taking a picture of the embarrassing situation he found himself in.

"It's better than Christmas," Alexander declared happily.

Angelica just smiled and ordered another drink.

* * *

Between the ridiculous outfit that Thomas had wrangled together for the reunion (An "I love NY" shirt and a pair of sweatpants with the American flag serving as fabric) and the open bar, Alexander was in a pretty good mood throughout the reunion.

Angelica wasn't having a bad time, either. She had rushed for the table that Church and his wife were already occupying upon their arrival. Church was full of stories about the clients that Angelica spoke to on a daily basis, while his wife asked Alexander enough questions about George's policies that he was duly entertained. Whenever Alexander left to get another round of drinks, Aaron would walk by and tell her some gossip he had picked up while socializing with their former classmates. Church pretended not to listen, but Theodosia would beg Aaron to point out the subject of the gossip to her and giggle uncontrollably when he did. Angelica still didn't care much for her.

The mood of the evening took a turn for the worst, however, when Dolley Madison plopped down into the empty seat between Alexander and Theodosia. Alexander smiled at her politely while Theodosia openly scowled. Angelica couldn't help but tune out Church's words so she could hear the reason that Dolley had ditched James this time. It was most likely the same reason that she usually did; James and Thomas tended to bore her when they were together.

"Jemmie told me that you and your husband just had a baby recently," Dolley's reason was a new one. "Do you have any pictures? I've heard he's just the sweetest little thing."

"Oh! Of course," Theodosia's expression lightened immediately. As though the dark energy needed a new host in which to take refuge, Alexander's face hardened. Angelica's own expression tensed as she watched Theodosia pull out her phone and scroll through her damned baby pictures. "She has a very impressive vocabulary for a child of her age."

"Look at the darling!" Dolley cooed, leaning closer to Theodosia.

Angelica watched as Alexander clenched and unclenched his jaw, his eyes darkening into a stormy gray color.

"Do you know," Dolley lowered her voice conspiratorially, looking over her shoulder at where James and Thomas were still talking. "That we're expecting a little one of our own?"

"No!" Theodosia looked Dolley over in surprise. "But you're still so slender!"

"I'm only a couple of months along," Dolley explained hastily, as though that made her less of a mother. "We're hoping for a boy."

"Don't," Church rumbled from beside Angelica. He was grinning playfully. "Ours is a nightmare."

"Oh, stop!" Theodosia reached over Alexander to swat Church's arm playfully. "You wouldn't trade him for all the world!"

"Depends how many more car windows he shatters playing baseball," Church chuckled. He raised his eyebrows as Theodosia rose to her feet, affording Dolley one last congratulations as she did so. "Where are you going, sweetheart?"

"To the bathroom, my darling," Theodosia bit back, laughing. "Would you like to join me?"

"Tempting," Church shook his head, smiling. "But I think I'll just wait for you here. So, Dolley. Do you know what you'll name it if it's a boy?"

"Todd, I think," Dolley answered, moving over into Theodosia's former seat so that she was closer to Church. She was now speaking directly over Alexander. Angelica grew more anxious with each passing second. "I had a friend named Todd when I was just a young girl and -"

"Hey, Annie?" Alexander's voice was oddly calm. It was somehow more unsettling than if he had yelled. "Could I speak to you for a minute? I think we forgot to call Eliza to pick up your dry cleaning."

There was no dry cleaning and this was going to be a nightmare.

"Right," Angelica knew that no one else was buying Alexander's dumb story, either. They all looked at her strangely as she rose to her feet and followed Alexander in the direction of the old high school's hallway. "The dry cleaning."

"Ugh," As soon as they reached the dimly lit high school hallway, they encountered Aaron and Theodosia lip locking in the hallway. Angelica was intrigued, Alexander appeared to be disgusted. "Burr, could you please do this somewhere else?"

"What?" Aaron jumped at the sound of Alexander's voice. He looked from Theodosia to Angelica frantically. "Oh, I, uh, she was feeling faint, so I -"

"I really don't care," Alexander remarked impatiently. "Do it somewhere else."

Theodosia wordlessly took off for the gym. Aaron stayed where he was, looking at Angelica with nothing shy of horror.

"Angelica, please, I -"

"Burr, my patience with you is really wearing thin," Alexander's voice had transitioned from impatience to a downright growl.

Aaron glanced at Alexander before turning to look at Angelica again, confusion mixing with his horror.

"Go," Angelica advised him lightly, nodding towards the gym. With some reluctance, Aaron nodded and stumbled down the hallway.

As soon as they heard the door shut behind Aaron, Alexander sighed and turned to look at Angelica. "Annie, you've got to meet me in the middle."

"The middle of where?" Angelica glanced around the hallway confusedly.

"Don't play stupid," Alexander's interaction with Aaron had left him with no patience at all. Angelica reminded herself to kick Aaron for that later on. "It doesn't suit you. I want kids, Annie. That's not going to change. That is never going to change. So what are we going to do about it? This marriage can't work if you're not willing to work with me a little bit on this."

"Alex, I've told you - I won't sacrifice my career," Angelica snapped. "That's not a compromise, that's demoting me to a nanny for your sake."

"So don't give up your career!" Alexander shouted in exasperation, like it was something totally obvious. "Look, you work for John, don't you? And he has a family. I'm not asking you to be a stay-at-home mom for the rest of your life - just until the end of this presidency."

"But it's not just one presidency, Alex!" Angelica reminded him, raising her voice to meet his. "George has already made it abundantly clear that he'll be running again at the end of this term. After that, you'll be thirty-six. Are you telling me that you're satisfied with just being in the cabinet? That you won't want to run for president the moment you're old enough?"

"Annie, I -"

Angelica shook her head. "I hate that you act like you're not taking anything away from me in asking me to do this. My job is the only thing I have left. You're always at work, Eliza is off saving the world and no longer needs me, and the person that I was when you met me? I don't know where the hell she went, but she isn't here anymore. I have nothing left besides this job, Alex. I can't give that up, too."

"So, what? You don't want kids because you feel like the world owes you something?" Alexander asked, his tone disbelieving.

Angelica felt like he had punched her in the face. Here was the boy that she had loved since she was seventeen years old, not hearing a word that she was saying. Arguing with him would be useless - he would yell, she would storm off, and the subject would be placed on hold until the next time that Alexander lost his temper.

"I can't do this!" Angelica felt so relieved that she was stepping out of the cycle that she laughed. She might've laughed until she cried, had she not expected Alexander to try to drag her right back into it. "I can't keep having the same argument with you. We are getting nowhere, Alex."

"Where are you going?" Alexander demanded as Angelica turned and started for the exit at the opposite end of the hallway. He took a few steps in the same direction as her, but didn't commit to following her. "Annie, we're not done here!"

"Oh, I think we are," Angelica called over her shoulder, not turning around.

"Annie!" Angelica ignored Alexander as she pushed through the school doors. "Annie, get back here!"

Now outside of the school, Angelica walked down the front steps towards the parking lot. She didn't notice that there was a familiar lanky figure sitting on the steps until one of her dagger-sharp heels landed directly on his hand.

His scream of agony nearly caused Angelica to fall down the steps.

"Tom?" She clung to the railing to keep her balance, her heart thundering against her rib cage. "Jesus, you scared the hell out of me! What are you doing out here? I thought that you were still inside with James."

Thomas struggled to his feet, nursing his now-injured hand. "I got tired of all of the married people baby talk. I didn't know that it would end with a hole in my hand."

Angelica smiled gently, removing her jacket and handing it to Thomas to stop the blood pouring from his hand.

"What about you?" Thomas asked, looking Angelica over. "Why aren't you in there with Hamilton? Did the baby talk set him off again?"

Angelica pursed her lips, warning Thomas against pressing the topic any further. Thomas understood and accommodated the warning.

"I think that I'm going to take off." He announced, surveying the empty parking lot. "I was having more fun at the hotel earlier than I am here. Any interest in joining me? We could grab some drinks at the bar and watch a movie."

"Yeah," Angelica mused, taking one glance back in the direction of the school. Alexander hadn't followed her; hadn't so much as poked his head outside to make sure that she was okay. "Yeah, that sounds great."

"Great," Thomas' smile brightened the area surrounding them. "I'll call a car."

Angelica shook her head, reaching to take Thomas' non-injured hand in her own.

"It's a nice night," She said. "Let's walk."


	20. Chapter 20

The White House staff were running at breakneck speed to make sure that Philip and Johnny did not destroy anything. The boys were now just old enough to cause trouble, and boy, did they love to cause trouble.

It was George's second election night - this one would determine if he would be granted a second term, or if he would be sent home to Mount Vernon for good.

Alexander was glued to the TV. He agonized over the polls as they poured in, despite the numbers forecasting a landslide victory in George's favor. Eliza was monitoring Baby while Martha cooed over the newest addition to the Hamilton clan, a darling little boy named Alexander Jr., after his father. Everyone just called him Junior for simplicity's sake. Church and George were standing near Martha, both of them equally smitten with Junior. Angelica was beside Alexander, where she preferred to be.

"Relax," Angelica had to tell him when the first state's results rolled in. She pulled a bottle of Peppermint Schnapps off of the bar cart in the Roosevelt Room and brought it over to Alexander with two shot glasses. "Freaking out won't help George win. Why don't we take a shot every time we get a state's result? By the time everything comes in, we won't care any more."

"You think we should take fifty shots tonight?" Alexander clarified, looking at Angelica like she had lost her mind. "Annie, if George wins, we have to go to a bunch of parties with him. You have to broadcast."

"It'll be over the span of the night. We'll have time to metabolize." Angelica rationed with a shrug and a smile. "We can also stop if it's too much. It'll just relax us in the meantime. You need it."

"I don't need it." Alexander rolled his eyes.

Angelica poured him a shot anyway. He accepted it and downed it in a single gulp.

* * *

By the time that three in the morning rolled around, both Alexander and Angelica were gone. They had passed out on the table of the Roosevelt room. Angelica's head was on Alexander's chest. Alexander's arm was around Angelica's shoulders.

Angelica was supposed to do a broadcast for CNN when all of the numbers added up, but that was very obviously not going to happen. George had to call CNN to tell them that their reporter had had one too many drinks and was currently snuggling with the Secretary of the Treasury. CNN sent over Anderson Cooper.

By the time that Anderson arrived at the Roosevelt room, Angelica and Alexander had come around somewhat. Philip and Johnny had made a game out of trying to wake them up. Both boys ran off screaming and laughing when Alexander threatened to put them to bed. He should have put them to bed anyway, but election night was akin to Christmas Eve in the Hamilton family. There were special circumstances.

"Anderson!" Alexander clambered off of the table, snatching Junior's diaper bag off of the floor and waving it in Anderson's face when he noticed the poor reporter trying to prepare to do his job. "Anderson, sign this! Can you please sign this? I'm your biggest fan, Anderson. Come on, Anderson. I did your show a bunch of times. Can you please just sign this?"

Before Anderson could even respond, Alexander doubled over and threw up at Anderson's feet.

"Please, Anderson," Alexander groaned, still hunched over.

Angelica, meanwhile, was petting Alexander feverishly. Any part of him that she could reach, really: his hair, his arm, his back…

While she pet him, she said, "Anderson, this is Alex. Remember? Alex. I love Alex."

In her drunken mind, she and Anderson had discussed Angelica's feelings for Alexander at great length. In reality, Anderson would fleetingly ask Angelica how Eliza was. Angelica would always respond by telling Anderson how Alexander was doing. Anderson was just being polite. Angelica jumped at every opportunity to talk about Alexander.

Blessedly, Angelica blacked out shortly after that. She didn't come around again until seven in the morning when the election was squarely settled. She cracked an eye open, looking around for the aftermath of her evening. She was not surprised. George was calmly drinking his coffee at the end of the table that she and Alexander were not laying on. The room reeked of vomit. Alexander was snoring lightly. A shot glass was lying on Angelica's hair, undoubtedly causing her hair to become a sticky mess.

"Good morning, Mrs. Church." George spoke calmly, as though this were the most perfectly normal situation in the world.

"Alex." Angelica's head throbbed as she sat up just enough to nudge Alexander.

Alexander made a noise of protest, rolling away from Angelica.

"Alex." Angelica tried again, nudging him harder.

"What?" Alexander finally opened his own eyes. He looked even worse off than Angelica was. His eyes were bloodshot, his movements were stiff, and his voice was raspy. "What time is it?"

"Nearly seven fifteen," George answered from across the table, taking another sip of coffee. He looked down at his watch. "The cabinet meeting starts soon. I assume you are prepared to discuss your debt plan? A number of Congressmen were asking about it at the party last night, but you were…ah…indisposed."

"Shit." Alexander climbed off of the table, not without some difficulty. He crawled across the floor on his hands and knees towards Junior's diaper bag. "My laptop. Where's my laptop?"

"One of the staff members had to remove it earlier this morning," George answered casually. "It seems that there was vomit on every inch of the thing."

"What?" Alexander whipped around, wincing at the pain it caused. Still, he persisted in his anger. "Sir, my whole debt plan is on that laptop."

"Hm." George was not as worried as Alexander.

Angelica, meanwhile, was staring at the diaper bag, her eyes wide and her mind reeling. She was just recalling the few minutes that she and Alexander had returned to reality before blacking out again. Anderson Cooper had been there. That wasn't great. She was going to have to issue an apology to him and whatever camera crew he brought along with him for what they witnessed when they came to do the report that she was supposed to do. Alexander had embarrassed himself, too. He was begging for Anderson to sign the diaper bag. While he was doing that, Angelica had been talking. She remembered speaking to Anderson, but she couldn't…

 _Oh_.

She suddenly realized that she had told Anderson that she loved Alexander. It was the first time that she had said so out loud. Right in front of Alexander. She turned to look at him as he scrambled to find any resources relating to the debt plan.

"I'm going to see if Betsey kept any of the rough sketches I did on paper." He was saying, throwing on his ruined suit jacket and slipping on his shoes. He cringed as he moved, still aching from the night before. "I'll be at the cabinet meeting, sir. Don't worry."

"I hadn't thought otherwise for a single moment," George remarked, taking another long sip of his coffee. His eyes shifted to Angelica. He looked somewhat amused. "Your husband and son are in your usual guest room, should you care to join them. I do regret to tell you that staying here is not an option."

"Right, yeah, okay." Angelica slid off of the table, her muscles screaming out in protest. Her mind raced with thoughts of the night before. Had Eliza heard Angelica say that she loved Alexander? Had Church? Had either of the boys? "Thanks, George."

"Happy to help." Judging from George's demeanor, he certainly had not heard. He just thought that Angelica and Alexander were up to their usual antics. Nothing new about that.

But Angelica was not the type of woman to worry over a man and whether or not he loved her. If Eliza heard, she would rationalize it. She would think that Angelica meant that she loved Alexander as her brother. If Church heard, he would pretend he hadn't. If either of the boys heard, well…they were only seven and eight years old. They wouldn't understand.

Angelica pulled out her cell phone as she left the Roosevelt room, walking down the hallway toward the bedroom that Church and Johnny were occupying. She frowned as she held the phone to her ear.

"Anderson, hi. Yeah, I know. I owe you an apology."

 **Rewind**

A knock on the door interrupted whatever romantic comedy Thomas had selected to watch in his hotel room. Angelica looked up from the box of Wheat Thins that she'd been eating by the handful. Thomas frowned, but pretended that he hadn't heard the noise at all. Angelica shrugged and resumed the consumption of her Wheat Thins. Or, rather, Thomas' Wheat Thins.

The knock interrupted for the second time shortly thereafter. This time, it was accompanied by a voice. "Annie, I know that you're in there. I bribed the receptionist to tell me where you went."

"Leave it to Hamilton to resort to bribing," Thomas snarked.

"Shut up," Angelica glanced at Thomas, setting down the box of Wheat Thins.

"Annie, I can hear you," Alexander huffed irritably. "Would you please open the door?"

Thomas groaned and hoisted himself off of the bed. He trudged across the hotel room, not bothering to make his attire more appropriate - within the confines of his hotel room, he had been donning a pair of sweatpants with no shirt - and opened the door just a crack. He angled his body so that Alexander could not see Angelica, who was watching the interaction from the bed.

"What do you want, Hamilton?" Thomas demanded.

"My wife, you jackass," Alexander pushed past Thomas with little trouble. He wiped his hands on his pants as he walked past Thomas towards Angelica, as though touching Thomas' bare skin had sullied his hands somehow. He stopped in front of Angelica, who was still sitting on the bed. His jaw was tight and his eyes were bright with anger. "Annie, would you please come to our room so we can talk?"

"I didn't invite you in here to torment her." Thomas wheeled around and chased after Alexander. "In fact, I didn't invite you into my room at all. I think that you should leave. If Angelica wanted to talk to you, she would have been in your room when you got there."

"Tom," Angelica cocked her head, casting him a look of disapproval. She then turned to look at Alexander, her expression morphing into a stubborn one. "I'll talk to you, Alex, but I won't stand there and be screamed at."

"No yelling," Alexander promised hastily.

Angelica nodded before turning to look at Thomas. He looked back at her, silently begging her not to leave. "Thanks for the snack, Tom."

"Of course," Thomas breathed, his eyes still bargaining with her.

Angelica turned, gesturing towards the door. "Let's go."

Alexander nodded once before following Angelica out of Thomas' hotel room and down the hallway towards their hotel room. Once they reached it, he opened the door, ushered Angelica inside, and closed the door behind him.

Angelica waited for Alexander to speak first. After all, he had been the one who had sought her out to have this talk. She folded her arms across her chest and stared at him expectantly.

"I'm sorry," Alexander was off to a good start. He didn't meet her eyes as she spoke, but that was alright. "I didn't think about everything that I was asking you to give up. That was wrong of me, I'll admit it."

"Thank you," Angelica relaxed her stance a bit, allowing herself to smile.

"That said, I really think -"

"Alex," Angelica cut him off before he could jump straight into the argument that had been plaguing their marriage for over a year. "I'm tired. This has been a long night. Can we end right here, while we're still on good terms?"

Alexander's jaw muscles tensed, as they always did when he was displeased with a situation. His eyes combed over Angelica, gauging how sincere her request was. When he could find no apparent ulterior motive, he ducked his head in acquiescence.

"We're going to talk about this tomorrow."

"I know." Angelica had been trying to avoid this conversation for over a year. She knew by now that he wasn't going to forget. "Until then, though, can we please go to bed?"

Alexander let out a sigh before reaching for his pajamas.

* * *

Angelica wasn't surprised when she woke up alone. Alexander always woke up at the crack of dawn and disappeared to get some work done before anyone woke up and bothered him. She was surprised when she rolled over and heard the all-too-familiar noise of paper crumpling under her weight.

She rolled off of the paper and grabbed it, straightening it out and blinking a few times before focusing on the words. She wasn't too surprised by what she read.

 _100 Reasons We Should Have a Baby:_

 _It might look like you._

 _It might look like me._

 _A baby's intelligence comes from its mother._

 _That means that ours would be brilliant._

 _You could name it (although I am partial to the name Warner)._

 _We could finally use our backyard._

 _You could dress it up in Oxford gear and look the other way when I changed it into Columbia gear._

Alexander crept into the room while Angelica was reading. Seeing that she was smiling at his list, he offered her one of the mugs of coffee he had presumably brought up from the breakfast bar in the lobby. Angelica accepted it, setting down Alexander's list.

"Alex, this is cute, but it doesn't change the fact that neither of us wants to give up our careers." She reminded him, taking a sip of coffee. "Unless we can solve that problem, I don't think -"

"After George's term, I'll take a break," Alexander interjected. He was speaking fast, but decisively. This wasn't a spur of the moment decision, it seemed. Angelica folded her arms and settled back against the headboard of the bed. "Until George's second term is over, assuming that he wins. Once George is through, I imagine John Adams will want a crack at the presidency. I'll dip my toe back into politics halfway through the presidency after George's to make myself politically relevant again. After that, I'll be old enough to run for president. The kid would be old enough that we'd still need to feed it and stuff, but it wouldn't need constant supervision. You might have to take a year or two off, but that's it. Annie, I'll do the legwork if you need me to. Just please, don't rule this out for us."

For the first time since the subject came about, Angelica considered it.

Alexander obviously wanted a child badly - anyone could see that. Angelica herself kind of wanted one, though not nearly to the extent that Alexander did. If he was willing to give up five years of his career to ensure that the child grew up correctly, Angelica could pitch in the remaining two before the child got to elementary school. It was doable. If Alexander kept his promise, it would be -

"Hello?" Alexander's phone had started ringing before Angelica could finish her thoughts. He had answered it less than a second after hearing the sound. "Hey, George. Wait, what? What do you mean? I thought I was supposed to have until Wednesday to present it. Fuck, _really_? Okay, okay. I'll be there in four hours."

He had started racing around the hotel room as he spoke, throwing everything that he could find into it. When he hung up the phone, he slipped it into his pocket and frowned at Angelica. "That was George. I have to get back to the city. Apparently, unemployment numbers just came out and the market has gone haywire. He's worried that Lehman might fail."

"Didn't you _just_ fix the economy?" Angelica questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"It always finds a way to give me trouble," Alexander answered, throwing the last of his possessions into the suitcase and zipping it up quickly. "I've got to run - George sent a plane for Madison and I. I'm hoping that I can spend the flight convincing him to vote in the economy's best interest for once in his life. I'll call you when I land."

"Okay," Angelica knew better than to argue. She followed Alexander to the hotel door, where he kissed her on the lips and smiled at her apologetically. "Don't let him off of that plane until he changes his mind."

"I won't," Alexander agreed, grinning. "I love you, Annie."

"I love you too, Alex."

Standing there, watching Alexander run off to put out yet another fire, Angelica quickly came to the conclusion that he wouldn't give up his job for all the world. He meant what he said in the moments when he promised to resign and help raise their child, but the instant that he got a call from George, all of that went straight out the window. He would never quit. There would always be a failing economy, a stubborn Congress, or a new bank. Alexander Hamilton would never stop. To expect him to would be to live in denial.

As Alexander disappeared down the lengthy hallway, Thomas poked his head outside of his hotel room. He looked at Alexander's retreating figure before turning to look at Angelica inquisitively. "Now Hamilton is leaving, too? What's going on? Has there been some kind of attack that I don't know about?"

Angelica just shrugged, shaking her head and smiling. "He's off to save the day again."

"But then, who's left to save you?" Thomas asked, looking at her hopefully.

Angelica shrugged again, her smile morphing into a confident, if not toothy, grin. "Myself, of course."


	21. Chapter 21

George's presidency flew by. It was nearly over, and Alexander's debt plan still hadn't gone through. James Madison and Aaron Burr were fighting it nail and tooth. Aaron was mostly doing it to get back at Alexander for blocking his campaign for the Governor of New York, which Alexander had only done to get back at Aaron for stealing Philip Schuyler's senator seat.

Politics were a petty, petty game.

George was getting tired of the delay. He was constantly reminding Alexander that John Adams was his heir apparent. There was no strong Republican opponent, which meant that John Adams would most likely be the president for the next four years, at the very least. John Adams did not like Alexander. He had never liked him. That was partially Alexander's fault - as a teenager, he had made fun of John Adams. As an adult, he hadn't done much better. John Adams also had a stick up his ass, though, which was an essential reason that he did not like Alexander. Alexander had too much fun for John Adams' taste.

Regardless, John Adams would become president, and he would not help Alexander pass his debt plan. He was not George. He did not have Alexander's best interests at heart.

Furthermore, if Alexander could not successfully deliver a debt plan that would save the economy, John Adams would likely fire him in favor of a more efficient Secretary of the Treasury. With three kids and a fourth baby on the way, Alexander did not have the luxury of losing his job.

Because his job was much less secure than Church's - especially now that Church had inherited his father's business entirely - Angelica and Church offered to stay with Alexander and Eliza through the remainder of George's term to help Eliza with the children while Alexander focused on his debt plan.

In doing so, Angelica was startled to find that for the first time since high school, her life had structure.

Eliza ran her household exactly like Mrs. Schuyler had run her household. All of the children had breakfast at six-thirty on the dot. Breakfast was never a quick bowl of cereal or a pop-tart, as it always had been for Johnny. It was a square meal, complete with fruit, vegetables, and protein. After breakfast, Eliza checked Philip, Johnny, and Baby's book bags to make sure that they all had their homework done and packed away. Baby was only in first grade, so she rarely had homework, but Philip was notorious for pretending that he did not have homework so he could spend his time doing what he enjoyed. When Alexander caught him doing it, it meant that everyone had to sit through an hour-long lecture at dinner.

Church took the children to school in the morning. Eliza was on bedrest with her latest pregnancy and still had to keep a close eye on Junior. He was proving to be the most troublesome of all of the Hamilton children.

Angelica typically cleaned up breakfast dishes once the children left before getting dressed and going to work. She would always offer to call in sick to take care of Eliza, should she need it, but Eliza always rolled her eyes and abruptly informed Angelica that she was being dramatic. She was so much like Mrs. Schuyler that at times, Angelica wondered what had become of her meek little sister from high school.

When everyone returned home for the day - the children being picked up by Church, Angelica returning from a day of reporting the news, and Alexander flying through the door with his arms full of research, Eliza would preside over a beautiful dinner. Angelica never knew how she managed to have elaborate dinners prepared every single night despite being on bedrest and having to chase Junior everywhere.

After dinner, the children sat at the table doing their homework. They were given snacks such as almonds, fruit, or granola to make the task less arduous. Philip complained the whole time, especially when Baby claimed that she had homework that was really just an assignment to color a page. Johnny complained when Philip did, but Angelica could plainly see that he enjoyed sitting at the table with the other children while doing his homework. After years of being an only child, he was thrilled to live in a house bursting with children.

When homework was done, Philip would grab Johnny by the back of his shirt and drag him out into the backyard to squeeze in as much play time as he could get before the sun went down. Typically, they were outside for an hour and a half before they returned to the indoors with scraped knees and grass-stained clothes. Eliza promptly ordered them to take showers before bed. The boys always listened to Eliza.

"It's so good for him," Church remarked one evening after all of the children had been put to bed. He was flipping through Johnny's school notebook, where Johnny had written about staying with his aunt and uncle in D.C. "Being here with Philip and the others. I was starting to worry about him. He never had many friends in Albany."

"He's quiet." Angelica shrugged, sipping her coffee as she looked through the pile of mail that Eliza had left on the table for her. "You were quiet when you were his age."

"I was never as quiet as he was." Church shook his head. "My mother doesn't remember correctly. I just think that being with other kids, kids his own age, is giving him some confidence. Do you know that before we came here, I don't think I had ever heard him take an opinion on a serious matter before?"

"He's twelve. What's he supposed to take an opinion on?" Angelica inquired.

"He's starting to come to his own as an adult." Church insisted.

"Hm," Angelica agreed that the change had been good for Johnny, but did not share Church's concern over the boy's social life when they lived in Albany. Johnny seemed perfectly content to spend an afternoon by himself, reading a book or writing one of his little short stories. There was nothing troublesome about that in Angelica's eyes. "Do you think that I ought to be bringing him to more political events, now that he's expressing his opinion?"

Church rolled his eyes before approaching Angelica, looking over her shoulder at the most recent invite that she had received. "Don't ridicule me for worrying about our son. What is it now?"

"Thomas invited me to some political rally that he's going to nearby. He's coming out as John Adams' running mate." Angelica answered, handing Church the invite. She knew that he wouldn't mind. He was so absorbed with his own job and worrying over Johnny's life that he had very little capacity to worry about what Angelica was doing.

"I see," Sure enough, Church handed the invite back after glancing at it. "I don't really think that would be a good place for Johnny, no. Maybe you could see about getting him into the inaugural ball for John Adams, though. I think that he might enjoy that."

"I doubt that Alex and Eliza are going," Angelica shook her head. "If they're not going, Philip's not going. If Philip's not going, Johnny isn't going to want to go."

"You might be right," Church admitted, crossing the kitchen to pour his own cup of coffee. "Still, I don't think that a political rally is any place for Johnny. Especially not when a man like Thomas Jefferson is still so controversial."

Angelica rolled her eyes and bit her tongue to avoid saying anything about the 'controversy' that Church was referring to. Thomas had been on a date for the first time since his wife's death and everyone had accused him of being heartless.

"Who's going to Jefferson's rally?" Alexander asked, padding into the kitchen from his office to pour himself another cup of coffee. He looked from Church to Angelica, already knowing the answer.

"I am." Angelica braced herself for what would surely be a negative reaction.

"No, you're not." Alexander bit back immediately.

"Excuse me?" Angelica stood up out of her chair, folding her arms across her chest.

"I said that you're not going." Alexander remained firm as he poured his coffee.

Church let out a low whistle under his breath, recognizing that this was destined to be a serious fight. "I think that I'm going to head upstairs and check on some emails. Why don't you two discuss this outside? I think that Eliza only barely got Junior to sleep a few minutes ago."

"There's no need for us to go anywhere," Alexander looked at Angelica with steely eyes. "You're not going, and that's that."

"Go," Angelica instructed Church through gritted teeth. She grabbed Alexander by the collar of his shirt, causing him to spill coffee all over himself. She ignored his indignant protests as she dragged him out into their backyard. She dragged him further into the wooded area beyond the backyard gates. "Who the fuck do you think you are, telling me where I'm allowed to go and where I'm not?"

"You're living in my household." Alexander looked less commanding with coffee stains all over his clothes. He jutted out his chin to try to overcome this humbling appearance. "And you're my sister-in-law. Besides that, you work for fucking CNN. If anyone recognizes you or makes it public knowledge that you attended the rally, people will see that as you, on behalf of CNN, expressing your outright support for Jefferson. I can't have that - especially not when I'm trying to get my debt plan through."

Angelica rolled her eyes. "What does it matter if I go to the rally?"

She was mostly provoking him at this point. She wanted the heated glow in his eyes to grow. She wanted his anger to engulf the two of them.

"You're my sister-in-law!" Alexander echoed, ever the drama queen. "And Jefferson is my political adversary. His rally is all about rejecting my debt plan. How is it going to look if you go to his rally?"

"I'm not Eliza." Angelica sniffed. "I'm not your wife. My reputation isn't staked on yours. I can go where I please."

" _My_ reputation is staked on _yours_. You have the political pull the likes of which I could only dream of. You're a fucking news anchor. You get to tell people what's worth talking about, and what isn't. If you go, CNN will ask you to report on it. Then people will associate you with him. Don't you see? That's just what Jefferson wants!"

"You think that he only invited me to get back at you?"

"Don't be stupid. We both know why he invited you."

"Because he values my opinion?" Angelica asked dryly.

"Because he's in love with you," Alexander answered tersely.

"What do you care how Thomas Jefferson feels about me?"

"Because _I_ love you!"

Angelica froze. There. He had said it. He had finally said it. Years of looks, of fond words, of late night phone calls and texts, and now it was out in the open.

"Alexander?" Eliza's voice was in the distance. Alexander turned to look back in the direction of the house. He turned back to Angelica, frowning.

"I, uh, I've got to..."

Before Angelica could say something - anything to make him stay for just a moment longer - Alexander turned on his heel and stormed off in the direction of the house. Angelica waited until she could no longer hear leaves crush underneath Alexander's fading footsteps. She then let out a huge sight of relief. In the middle of the woods, wrapped in the night sky and overwhelmed by a giddy sensation that she hadn't felt since high school, Angelica laughed. She laughed until she cried.

It took her an hour to compose herself well enough to return to the guest room at the Hamilton residence, where Church was already asleep. Evidently, he had not been bothered by the fact that Angelica was out so late.

Proving once again that he was so clearly better than Church, Alexander knocked on the door just as Angelica was readying herself for bed. Angelica knew it was him. Alexander always knocked five times.

Church grumbled in his sleep but did not seem to be awake. Angelica glanced at Church critically before opening the door.

Alexander was standing there in his oversized robe. He had a stern, thoughtful expression on his face. His brow furrowed as he looked her over. Angelica smiled. She always knew when Alexander had something on his mind.

"I just wanted to make sure that you got in all right," He said, as though Angelica had asked what he was doing standing in her doorway. He didn't smile; he was tense. He was still anxious about their earlier conversation. Angelica realized that Alexander might not know that she loved him.

She had always figured it was obvious.

"Alex, about what you said earlier -"

Church stirred in his sleep. Alexander jumped at the sound. He looked at Angelica, his face taut.

"We can talk about it tomorrow." He turned and paused, apparently only now realizing that Angelica had called him "Alex." She only called him Alex when they were getting along. He turned his head, the tense expression replaced by a small, tentative smile. "Goodnight, Annie."

* * *

Angelica stayed up all night. She pretended to be asleep when Church woke up for work. She kept her eyes shut when he kissed her forehead and said goodbye. She didn't want to look at him; she wanted to pretend that it was Alexander kissing her forehead and saying goodbye.

As the house began to stir, Angelica finally let herself climb out of bed. She threw on the first sensible outfit that she could find and hurried downstairs. As she entered the dining room, she saw Eliza buttering Baby's toast while going over Philip's homework from the night before, just like their mother had when they were children. Alexander was nowhere to be seen.

Eliza looked up from Baby's toast. She seemed surprised to see Angelica.

"I thought that you would be at Thomas Jefferson's rally by now," She said, glancing at the missing table setting where Angelica usually sat.

Oh, right. The rally. Angelica had promised Thomas.

"Of course," Angelica crossed the threshold into the foyer. She grabbed her coat off of the coat rack near the door. "I'm on my way now."

"Alexander will be furious," Eliza followed Angelica into the foyer, her arms folded across her chest. She smiled good-naturedly.

"No, he won't," Angelica argued cheerfully.

"Oh, yes, he will be. You just won't see it. He'll sulk and mope around the house and tell us all about it when you aren't here, but he'll drop it when you're home. Alexander can never stay mad at you." Eliza's tone was amused. She didn't have a jealous bone in her body.

Angelica laughed.

"He's been mad at me plenty," She assured Eliza. "But don't let him bother you and the kids about it. If he wants to say something about me going to the rally, he knows where to find me."

* * *

When Angelica reached her car post-rally, she was surprised to see a sketchy figure leaning against the driver's side of her car. She was reaching for her pepper spray when the man suddenly smiled. Angelica would have recognized that smile anywhere.

Beneath the hat, sunglasses, and the overpriced Burberry coat was the same coy smile that Alexander had flashed her in the Schuyler mansion seventeen years before.

"How was the rally?" He asked as Angelica approached her car.

"Fairly predictable. Lots of mud-slinging. I wasn't expecting this, though."

Alexander opened the door to Angelica's car for her. Angelica smiled at him before climbing into the driver's seat. Alexander walked around the car and deposited himself into the passenger's seat.

"I thought you might be hungry. I heard that you left this morning without having breakfast."

"Is that right?" Angelica asked, arching an eyebrow. Alexander laughed and took off the sunglasses and hat as Angelica started the car.

"Okay," Alexander admitted. "I had to see you. I was useless at work; George sent me home for lunch. I really need to talk about last night."

"Then let's go get some lunch and talk about last night." Angelica agreed readily.

"Where?" Alexander hesitated. "Annie, I wasn't serious about going somewhere, I…I was actually hoping that this could be a private conversation. I can't have sources eavesdropping and Eliza…"

Angelica just smiled. "Just trust me, Alex. You need to talk, and I need to eat. We don't have to destroy your reputation to accomplish either of those things."

* * *

"I knew that you cheated on your diet!" Alexander laughed.

They were parked in front of Taco Bell, each of them eating underpriced tacos and spilling food all over their overpriced clothes.

"I do not!" Angelica insisted, her mouth full. "I missed breakfast. The calories roll over."

"Right." Alexander chuckled.

"Anyway," Angelica said, her mouth now empty. She looked pointedly at Alexander. "You were the one who wanted to talk in private. It's not like the Tea Room was on the table."

"Yeah." Alexander shifted in his seat, his expression morphing into a thoughtful one. "About what I said last night…I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I love Eliza."

Angelica nodded, afraid to speak.

"And I would never do anything to hurt her." Alexander looked at Angelica nervously. Angelica decided against mentioning all of the rumors she'd heard about Alexander's possible affairs. Eliza had made it clear time and time again that so long as Alexander came home to her every night and maintained some semblance of discretion, she didn't need to know everything about his conduct outside of the house. "But Annie, you have to know that I've loved you since the 12th grade."

Angelica shook her head, smiling. "How would I know that, Alex? Aaron convinced me that you were only trying to get connections through my family."

"He did?" Alexander looked surprised. "When?"

"Right after you came over to my house for the first time," Angelica couldn't believe that she was telling him this. "And Eliza had such a crush on you. I thought that if all you wanted was connections…"

"But I didn't." Alexander interrupted. "You know that I didn't, don't you?"

Angelica smiled gravely. "But Eliza was so crazy about you."

"Is that why you stood me up at the liberty bell?" Alexander asked quietly.

"Alex, it was so long ago," Angelica said, her voice begging him to drop the subject.

"You could have told me. I might've…"

"It hardly matters now." Angelica reminded him forcefully. "You have Eliza, and I have Church. And we both have our Philips. Everything worked out for the best."

She wouldn't tell him that she thought about what her life might have been like with him every night before she fell asleep.

"You're right." Despite his words, Alexander did not look convinced. "And I didn't tell you, well, you know, to hurt Eliza."

"We're not going to hurt Eliza." It was not even up for argument. Angelica had already sacrificed so much for Eliza's happiness. She was not going to risk even a fraction of it now.

Alexander nodded, taking a bite out of his taco.

"Good." He finally said. "Good. This is good. We both know how we feel, but that doesn't affect Eliza."

"Agreed." Angelica sighed before taking a massive bite out of her own taco.

 **Rewind**

Though she had sworn that she would never entangle herself in another election campaign again, Angelica found herself working on the Washington/Adams campaign as George competed for a second term in office. She took a year-long leave from Church's company in order to help. Church assured her that he didn't mind; she had done enough work to keep the company functioning for years in her absence. If anything dire came up, he said, it would just go straight to Aaron's desk until she came back.

Election night found Angelica, Alexander, Eliza, and eight dogs sitting in the Roosevelt room. Alexander and Angelica were glued to the television, taking long pulls from a bottle of Jägermeister whenever the polls turned unfavorable for George. Eliza was just watching them, participating in the conversation from time to time and playing with the dogs whenever Alexander got started on some economic ramblings.

Alexander passed out first - election nights always made him anxious. He drank to compensate for anxiety, but drinking always made him sleepy. Alexander had always been something of a lightweight. So before even a quarter of the states had been announced, Alexander was fast asleep with his head in Angelica's lap. Angelica - also incredibly drunk, but definitely awake - pet his hair the way that Eliza was petting her dogs. He looked so young when he slept. Like a child, almost. Which reminded her…

"I don't think that he loves me anymore," Angelica professed, turning to look at Eliza. Eliza, who had been petting one of her sleeping dogs, turned to look at Angelica in surprise. "I can't figure out a way for us to have a baby that doesn't end with me quitting my job, and I think he hates me for it."

"Alexander? No, I don't think so," Eliza shook her head. She was always so quick to defend Alexander. "He loves you, Angie. I see it every time that he looks at you. He just…I think he's frustrated by the juxtaposition of wanting a baby and a career."

Angelica shook her head glumly. "He thinks that it's ultimately my responsibility to give up my career and stay home with the baby. I told him before we even got married that if he wanted kids, he would have to be the one to quit. I told him how important my job was to me. I thought that he cared, but…" Angelica let out a sigh. "I know that you love him, honey, but Alex can be a sexist asshole about certain things."

Eliza's eyes widened and her cheeks grew a furious shade of scarlet. "I think that maybe you two should just have an honest conversation about -"

"Wait, you love him, don't you?" Angelica perked up. "What if you had a baby with him? You don't have a career right now…I mean, you have the dogs, but you could do both. You stay home with them anyhow. And Alex would be so happy. He loves you too, obviously, so it would be perfect! A perfect little Eliza and Alex baby that I could hold and love but wouldn't have to give up everything for!"

"Angelica," Eliza was visibly uncomfortable. She shook her head just as slowly as she spoke, her cheeks blazing red and her eyes downcast and full of tears. "I think that you should stop talking."

"Why?" Angelica demanded, alcohol rendering her insensitive to the obvious emotional impact that she was having on Eliza. "Eliza, that would solve all of our problems. Don't you want to help me?"

"You're drunk," When Eliza looked up at Angelica, there were tear stains on her cheeks. "I hope. I hope that's why you're saying this to me."

"I'm not drunk." Angelica insisted sulkily.

"Well, I'm leaving." Eliza declared, standing up and waking up her dogs in the process. "It's getting late, anyway. Try to get some sleep, Angie."

"Fine," Angelica had already forgotten her request as she laid back on the table of the Roosevelt room table. Alexander's expression twitched as his head was jostled by the movement, but he didn't wake up. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Eliza didn't say another word as she led her herd of dogs out of the room.

* * *

Angelica woke up first. She cracked one eye open and saw the blurry outline of a man sitting across the table from where she was laying. This startled her into opening both of her eyes and shooting straight up. Alexander's head was propelled upwards by her motion, waking him up.

Alexander yelped in surprise as he was suddenly awoken, while Angelica whipped around to focus on the blurred figure from before. It was George. He was sitting in one of the chairs, calmly drinking a cup of coffee while watching them.

"Good morning," He rumbled with an amused smile.

Alexander groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head. "Did we win?"

"We did," George's voice did not waver. His mouth quirked into a small smile. "And you are expected to present your latest proposal at the cabinet meeting in about half an hour. I trust that you have a change of clothes in your office?"

Angelica was barely listening to George's words. She remembered speaking to Eliza last night, but couldn't remember the specifics. The conversation had blurred into a dream at some point during the night. She knew that they had discussed Alexander and his strong desire of children, but couldn't remember the specifics. The terrible suggestion that Eliza have a child for them, that was definitely part of her dream. She thought. She hoped.

She needed to talk to Eliza.

"Fuck!" Alexander was picking up his laptop, which had been knocked off of the table at some point during the night. The screen was cracked and covered with what looked like queso. They'd gotten Taco Bell before showing up to the White House. "My laptop's broken, I -"

George shook his head, taking another calm sip of coffee. "Twenty-seven minutes."

"Fuck," Alexander bolted out of the room with his broken laptop in his arms.

Angelica was too wrapped up in her own thoughts to care that Alexander had run off without saying goodbye to her.

"Care for some coffee?" George gestured towards his mug pleasantly. "There's no rush, but the cabinet meeting will be held in here. I'm sure Martha would be glad for your company at the residence."

"No, I should go." Angelica gathered herself as well as anyone could after waking up still-drunk in the Roosevelt room. She climbed off of the table and slipped on her painfully tall high heels. She wasn't drunk enough to dull the pain of them anymore. She cringed as she slowly made her way out of the room.

"Call a car for Mrs. Hamilton," Angelica overheard George instructing one of his staff members. She sighed gratefully as she walked towards the exit.

By the time that she reached the exit, there was a car waiting for her. The driver was holding a cup of coffee with her name on it - it was in Martha's handwriting.

Angelica tilted a smile in the direction of her driver but didn't speak otherwise. She needed time to sober up and figure out what she said to Eliza before she got home.

When the car finally pulled up in front of her and Alexander's house, she wasn't exactly sober, but she was fairly certain that she had, in fact, asked Eliza to carry Alexander's child. Hardly the most appropriate suggestion to make to a younger sister.

She removed her heels before climbing out of the car and creeping up the driveway. Her arches ached as a consequence of her decision to wear the aforementioned heels, so her walk was extremely bow-legged and awkward.

When she finally reached the front door, she swung it open, expecting eight dogs to come careening around the corner towards her. They didn't. The house was totally silent and shockingly devoid of the blanket of fur that typically covered everything. Something was wrong.

"Eliza?" Angelica poked her head in the kitchen. Eliza was almost always in the kitchen. While cooking stressed Angelica out, it seemed to soothe Eliza. Just another way in which Eliza was better than Angelica was.

Eliza was not in the kitchen. She had, however, left a note waiting for Angelica on the kitchen table.

 _Dear, Darling Angie,_

 _Thank you for letting me stay with you and Alexander for so long, especially with the dogs. That was so amazing of you. But I think that I might have overstayed my welcome - I took advantage of your hospitality and now it is time for me to go._

 _Mama and Papa offered me the beach house in Delaware until I can afford to live somewhere on my own. It won't be quite as jovial as living with you and Alexander, but I need to be with myself for a little while, and you and Alexander need to be with each other for a little while._

 _It is my dearest wish that you two work everything out, no matter what you decide vis a vis, babies. Don't ever hesitate to call me if you need to talk._

 _Love,_

 _Eliza_

Angelica let the note slide from her hands, deafened by the silence of the house.

She would be damned if she let Eliza leave her. She had stood by and allowed so many things to just sort of happen to her throughout her lifetime; this was the final straw. She grabbed her keys right off of the counter and walked out the door.

Was she still a little bit too drunk to be driving? Probably. But high school Angelica wouldn't have worried about such a thing, and neither would she.

She climbed into her car and started the engine. With the beach house's location in the GPS and a full tank of gas, there was nothing in the world that could stop her.

* * *

"Angelica?" Eliza was unpacking her bags when Angelica burst through the door of the beach house without even knocking. Eight dogs hurried to greet her. Angelica would not admit that she was starting to enjoy such greetings. "What are you doing here? Where are your shoes?"

Angelica looked down. She hadn't grabbed another pair of shoes before leaving the house, and there was no way that she could drive in her stilettos, especially not with the way that her feet were aching. She looked back up at Eliza and shook her head. "My shoes don't matter. Why are you here? Did you leave because of what I said last night? Because I was completely out of line, I should have never -"

Eliza shook her head, looking down at her shoes. "I didn't leave because of what you said. I left because you were right."

"What do you mean?" Angelica grabbed a bag out of Eliza's hand and tossed it on the ground. This was not the time for Eliza to worry about something like unpacking. Instead, Angelica led her over to the uncomfortable sofa that her mom had purchased at far too high a price years ago. "You don't want to have a baby, do you?"

Eliza shook her head, wisps of hair falling into her face. "No, of course I don't! I just…" She bit her bottom lip, tears welling up in her eyes. "I've tried not to love him, I really have. You don't know how hard I've tried. I've traveled the world, dated other men, I just…"

"Oh," Angelica felt herself visibly deflate. She couldn't help the effect - she knew better than to try - so she pulled Eliza closer to keep her from seeing it. Eliza didn't notice. She let herself fall right into Angelica, tears staining Angelica's expensive dress. "Honey. Of course you do."

"Nothing has ever happened," Eliza vowed, her small voice muffled by Angelica's shoulder. "Nothing will ever happen. You know that I would never -"

"I know," Angelica agreed, trying to use the soothing tone that her father had always adopted when Eliza was crying. "You're doing all that you can. You were just dealt a bad hand from the start."

"What do you mean?" Eliza asked, sitting back to look at Angelica with big, questioning eyes. She wiped her face with her perfect little hands.

Seeing Eliza this way made Angelica want to cry. Instead, she forced herself to smile. "Honey, it's in our blood to love Alexander. No Schuyler can resist him. We were all helpless from the moment we met him."


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: I should not teach you all that feedback gets me equally excited to post another chapter, lest you take advantage and have me posting new chapters every day or potentially even more than that. After all, the rest of the story is completely finished and ready for release - I'm just controlling myself somewhat. Also, a few comments about nothing of particular relevance: 1) I am devoted to the headcanon of Martha trying to get Alexander and all of his friends to join her book club at all costs. I have very elaborate fantasies about Alexander and Thomas having a shouting match over metaphors and character development and whether or not Lizzie and Mr. Darcy should end up tofether. 2) I am going on a road trip starting on Monday. This will likely not affect the update schedule - I'll have my laptop with me - but may inspire a road tripping fic. 3) I know how this story ends and I am so, so sorry.**

"This is good," Angelica assured Alexander, leaning back in Alexander's desk chair to smile at Alexander. He was sprawled across his sofa, half-asleep.

"Mm." He hummed with a self-satisfied smile. "Good enough to pass the vote?"

"I think so," Angelica responded, tossing the 400-page debt plan back onto Alexander's chest. "But I'm not exactly an expert, here. You might want to ask Madison or Aaron."

"Burr can go fuck himself," Alexander responded. "And Madison can go fuck Jefferson. That's happening, you know. Heard it through the grapevine."

"Shut up." Angelica rolled her eyes.

"Do you still see him?" Alexander's smile faded a bit. "Jefferson, I mean."

"Let's not do this." Angelica suggested lightly, not wanting to get into an argument with Alexander over Thomas, of all things. "We've talked about this."

"I just don't see why you tolerate him, is all." Alexander was not good at letting things go. "Do you…love him?"

"Alex." Angelica warned him.

"I'm just saying, I think that -"

There was a knock on Alexander's office door. Angelica cast Alexander a warning look before standing up and crossing the office to open the door.

Junior was standing at the door, his favorite book in hand. It was one of those children's books that Angelica had never gotten for Johnny - full of fables and superficial stories involving mass personification and morals about sharing and kindness. The spine of the book had broken. Junior looked near tears.

"Philip broke it!" He explained, holding the book up as evidence. "I need Daddy."

"Okay, kiddo." Alexander materialized in an instant, taking on that dad tone-of-voice of his that made Angelica smile against her will. "No need to waste your tears over it - it's nothing that a little bit of superglue can't fix. What did Philip do to it, anyway?"

Angelica watched as Alexander scooped up Junior and walked him in the direction of the laundry room, where the super glue and other such materials were kept. He glanced over his shoulder as Junior babbled on about a game that he and Philip had been playing, his eyes conveying one very simple message.

 _I love you._

Angelica tilted her chin with a small smile, returning the sentiment.

 _I love you, too._

* * *

"You're not very good at this," Angelica watched as Alexander sloppily chopped an onion, glowering at the cookbook in front of him. "Why don't you just eat one of the meals that Eliza left for you?"

"I said that I was going to cook you dinner," Alexander flinched a bit at Eliza's name but continued chopping. "And with God as my witness, I will cook you dinner."

Eliza was with Philip and Baby on a week-long trip their school had arranged. They were learning about the Revolutionary War in Philadelphia. Neither Angelica nor Alexander mentioned a thing about their own trip to Philadelphia when they were in school. Blessedly, Church had offered to chaperone Johnny and his class as well. Alexander, Angelica, and Junior were the only people occupying the house. Alexander and Angelica were the only people awake past 7pm.

"Are you going to be offended if I don't eat it?" Angelica looked at the milk that Alexander had left to curdle on the stove dispassionately. "I think that there's still some cereal in the pantry."

"Don't you dare get that cereal," Alexander looked up from the chopping, his eyes watering as a consequence of the onions. "I'm making you dinner. You should appreciate the amount of effort that I'm putting into this!"

"The breadcrumbs that you used in the meatballs were moldy," Angelica complained, looking over the disaster of a meal.

"The heat will cook off the bacteria." Alexander protested.

"I'm getting the cereal." Angelica rolled her eyes, crossing the kitchen towards the cafeteria.

"Don't you do it!" Alexander dropped the knife on the chopping board and chased Angelica across the kitchen. Angelica had just gotten ahold of a box of Lucky Charms when Alexander grabbed her by the waist and pulled her away from the pantry. "Give me the cereal. Annie, give me the fucking cereal."

"No," Angelica laughed against her will, trying to wriggle free of Alexander's grip. He was surprisingly strong for someone who spent most of his days behind a desk. "Alex, let go!"

"Give me the cereal." Alexander continued, reaching over Angelica's shoulders in an effort to take the cereal from her hands.

"No!" Angelica scooped a handful of cereal and shoved it into her mouth, munching on it gleefully. She hadn't eaten in hours and this was significantly better than the prospect of eating what Alexander was preparing.

"Give me!" Alexander was laughing as he tried to swat the cereal out of Angelica's hand as she wolfed as much as she could down. She was fairly certain that she resembled the dog she'd had in college, Taz, when he ate things that he was not supposed to eat.

Like Taz, she got sloppy in her enjoyment of the food. She twisted her body to get another handful of cereal out of the box. Alexander took advantage of this movement and pinned her against the counter, where he successfully wrenched the box out of her hands. Cereal spilled all over the floor. Neither of them noticed. They were too busy noticing the proximity of one another.

Angelica could see Alexander's pupils dilate. She could see herself reflected in them, too. She licked her lips and tilted her chin reflexively; an old trick from high school.

Alexander was leaning closer. Angelica could feel him balancing most of his weight on his hands, each one holding on to the counter behind him.

Angelica wanted this so badly that her entire body trembled. It had been years since she had kissed Alexander. His lips looked a little chapped and he was still biting them when he was nervous, but oh, god, she could have devoured him whole in a second.

The timer on Alexander's revolting meatballs interrupted them, screeching a warning that both of them reluctantly heeded.

"I should get those," Alexander murmured, averting his eyes and tilting his head down to a point in which his lips weren't so close to Angelica's.

Angelica swallowed hard and nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She was still shaking to the point that her knees were coming dangerously close to knocking together.

"I think these are ruined," Alexander sighed as he tore himself away from Angelica and pulled the meatballs from the oven. They were a burnt charcoal color. "I think that I might just order a pizza."

"Okay," Angelica licked her lips and nodded, not looking at Alexander. "I, um, I actually think that I'm going to bed soon. I have a pretty early day tomorrow."

It was Friday night. Angelica had nothing to do the next day.

"Right, yeah." Alexander agreed, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Goodnight, Annie."

It was seven thirty in the evening.

"Good night, Alex." Angelica hurried upstairs towards the guest room, away from the temptation that Alexander created for her.

It was one thing to acknowledge lingering feelings, she told herself, but to kiss her sister's husband would have just been wrong. Feelings were harmless, but to act on them would be a betrayal. That was the line in the sand.

Not that there was anything wrong with thinking about kissing Alexander. As long as she didn't kiss him, she was in the clear. It was perfectly normal to think about the way his bottom lip protruded when he moved closer to her. If anything, he had been asking for her to fantasize about the way his eyelashes swept up to reveal those big, beautiful eyes of his just as he was leaning in. It was purely biological to consider the warmth of his arms enveloping her.

She just wouldn't kiss him. And that was good.

But maybe it wouldn't hurt just to talk to him. She could handle that.

Angelica moved for the door. Just as she turned the doorknob, however, she heard the unmistakable sound of the front door opening and slamming shut again.

Her first thought was Johnny. Perhaps he had gotten sick during the trip. Perhaps Church had overreacted to something and brought him home.

Her mind then shifted to Eliza. What if Alexander had called Eliza to confess what had just happened? Not that anything had happened, of course. But what if Eliza were home? That wouldn't be good. That would be less than ideal.

Angelica crept out of her room, peering down the stairs at the front door. Through the glass panel above the front door, Angelica saw Alexander climb into his car. She didn't see Junior with him. She assumed that meant that she was being left in charge of the sleeping toddler.

She let out a heavy sigh as she watched him drive away.

* * *

"A year?" Angelica frowned as she slumped against the warmth of Church's arm. Eliza and Alexander frowned at her from across the living room. "Are you sure? I really don't want to…"

"If you give up this opportunity, you're going to be stuck with puff pieces for another month." Angelica's terrible boss, Christina, threatened. "This is history, Angelica. Think of what it would do for your career."

"Okay," Angelica ran a hand through her hair, her heart sinking. "Can you give me a day to think about it? I need to talk this over with my husband."

She didn't look at Alexander as she said this.

"Of course. Get back to me by tomorrow evening."

"Thanks." Angelica hung up the phone before Christina could think of some other awful thing to ask of her.

"Everything okay?" Church asked tentatively, watching as Angelica tossed the phone onto the coffee table unhappily.

"She wants me to move to England," Angelica looked at her hands in her lap, knowing that no one in the room would be happy with this development. "For at least a year. The pound is collapsing and they need a permanent correspondent there for it."

"Oh." Church frowned.

"You can't!" Eliza protested. "You only just got here! I'm due any day now."

"The school year isn't over yet," Alexander agreed, gesturing up towards the stairs behind them. "You can't just pull Johnny before the school year is over. He'll fall behind."

"I could go without you two," Angelica suggested to Church tentatively. "At least until Johnny is done with school for the year."

"Out of the question. You're not moving to another country by yourself," Church shook his head. "The stress of a new job will be enough for you to handle. You don't need to worry about moving, too. I'll go with you. I'm sure we could find a tutor for Johnny in the interim."

"Or he could stay with us until the term is over," Eliza contributed.

Church looked from Eliza to Angelica as though all of their problems were solved.

"Thank you," Angelica was forced to acknowledge. "We'll talk to Johnny about it tomorrow to get his opinion on it. He's old enough to decide what he wants to do. Um, I guess I should book my flight and start packing. I'm sorry to ruin game night like this."

"You haven't ruined anything," Eliza waved off Angelica's apology. "I'm just so sorry to see you go. Having you here was like being on a little family vacation. We'll visit you in England, though, just as soon as we can leave the baby with Mama."

Angelica smiled, knowing that the Hamiltons would never visit them in England. Traveling was hard with a big family.

"I'll start packing." Church volunteered, squeezing Angelica's knee before standing up and approaching the steps. "Thank you for dinner, Eliza. As always, it was incredible."

Eliza beamed at the compliment. "Thank you, John. Angelica, I'm going to pack a lunch for you to bring to work tomorrow, okay? Are leftovers alright?"

"That's perfect, thank you." Angelica had resigned to Eliza mothering her long ago. It was harmless, and besides, Eliza enjoyed it. Plus, the food she packed was really much better than anything that Angelica could have gotten during her lunch break.

That left Angelica and Alexander alone in the living room. Angelica did not want to be alone in the living room with Alexander.

"I should probably…" She searched for an excuse.

"Annie," Alexander cut her off. "You're not seriously going to England."

"I have to," Angelica answered shortly. "It's either that or take ten steps back in my career."

"But what about…?" Alexander didn't finish his question, but it hung in the air all the same.

 _Us_.

"What would you do if you were me?" Angelica asked. "If your career relied on you going to England."

"Don't make me answer that."

"I have to go." Angelica tried to smile. "But I'll miss you."

"We'll miss you, too." Alexander glanced in the direction of the kitchen, where Eliza was rattling around. When he looked at Angelica again, it was hard not to get caught up in the heat of his gaze.

"Don't forget to write," Angelica knew that this would be their final goodbye. She could not bear a prolonged goodbye in the middle of an airport. No, she would catch an early flight the very next morning, if she could help it. Anything to avoid any further heartbreak.

Alexander's mouth twitched into a grim smile. "old-fashioned."

"Humor me." Angelica would have smiled under any other circumstances.

"Goodbye, Annie."

"Goodbye, Alex."

* * *

Johnny wanted to go to England with them. He considered it a great journey, traveling the world with his parents. Angelica suspected that he just wanted to get out of school for the rest of the year. Church was already hard at work making sure there would be a tutor waiting for him the moment that their flight landed.

Presently, though, both Church and Johnny were fast asleep around Angelica. It was endearing, the sight of Johnny curled up against Church. Angelica smiled and reached into her bag for her camera. Instead of her camera, though, she was treated to the stinging sensation of a paper cut. She jerked her hand out of her bag, sticking her finger in her mouth poutily. She peered into the bag, looking for the culprit of the injury.

An envelope, with her name written in Alexander's smudged handwriting.

Angelica removed the envelope from her bag, cutting it open and extracting the letter carefully. Beside her, Church shifted in his sleep. Angelica clutched the letter to her chest, holding her breath until she heard the sound of Church's soft snoring again. When the snoring resumed, she allowed herself to turn on her reading light and treat herself to whatever combination of words Alexander had created for her this time.

 _My dearest, Angelica,_

 _Though I know that there is no use in telling you, as you already know this perfectly well, England is gaining the most phenomenal woman as of this morning. As for the United States, well, it will suffer in your absence. Not only because every country needs a woman like Angelica Schuyler, but because its Secretary of the Treasury is heartbroken at this particular country's loss of you._

 _Despite my own selfish desires to see you back home shortly, I do hope that you thrive during your time in England. I only hope that you thrive so much that they decide that you are indispensable to the D.C. offices, where I can have you in my sights at all times; not just when you're on TV for all to see._

 _Please know that wherever you go, my heart will follow._

 _Anywhere._

 _All my love,_

 _Your,_

 _Alexander_

Angelica smiled, folding the letter back into the envelope and leaning her head against the seat.

 **Rewind**

George's second term flew by. It felt like he had just won his second election and his term was already coming to an end. More importantly, George's second term was coming to an end and Alexander still had not gotten his debt plan through Congress.

It was James and Thomas - everyone knew that. Thomas was doing everything that he could to stop Alexander at every turn. He called in favors, leaked bits and pieces to the press…he even went on the Tonight Show and performed a skit with Jimmy Falon to make Alexander look like nothing more than a precocious boy-wonder with an overly indulgent mentor.

George knew who was behind Alexander's shortcomings, too, but he was not willing to excuse Alexander for it.

"I'm tired of this narrative," He grumbled as Alexander complained about Thomas's latest media exploit. "Come November, Adams will win the election. In January, he will be president. He does not support your debt plan and you know this. You're going to have to get it through Congress before the next election cycle or risk the economy doing whatever it is that you keep telling us all that it will do."

"Sir, you really ought to know economic terms. At least remember them until you stop being the leader of the free world." Alexander quirked a smile as he took a bite of whatever dinner it was that the White House chef had made that particular evening.

Since Eliza left, Alexander had started inviting Angelica over to the White House for dinner. He always went back to work afterwards - he'd hardly be Alexander if he didn't - but Angelica no longer had to convinced Church to get a drink with her after work, so she was happy to compromise.

George and Martha liked it because it ensured that Alexander stopped and ate at some point during the evening.

"Watch it, Alexander," George tried to warn him. There was no malice in his voice. "I'll still be your father when I'm out of office."

Alexander's smile stayed in place, but there was a look behind his eyes that made Angelica squirm. He always got a little weird when there was mention of his father - his real father. He respected George as the man who had stepped up when his own father had fallen short, but he wanted everyone to know that he had created himself; that he had thrived without his father's help.

"Are you going to go to Adams' next party?" Alexander changed the subject before George could say anything else. "I hear that he's going to announce his running mate."

George cast Alexander a look that Angelica didn't quite know how to read. It was a mixture of pity and amusement. "No. I already know who John is going to choose for his running mate."

Alexander perked up. "Who is it?"

George shook his head. "I promised John that I wouldn't tell a single soul. His choice is a bit…controversial. I doubt that you'll approve. All the more reason to get your debt plan through now instead of waiting for a more convenient time."

"Come on," Alexander huffed, slumping in his chair. "I didn't get an invitation to Adams' party. You can tell me now; I won't tell anybody."

"Oh, yes you will," Martha shook her head with a knowing smile.

"You told Martha?" Alexander complained, gesturing to Martha in a fit of outrage. "Why would you tell Martha and not me? She's probably already told half of her book club!"

"That'll teach you for not joining my book club," Martha told him with a satisfied smirk. "We're reading Mansfield Park this month."

"If I join your book club, will you tell me who his running mate is?" Alexander leaned across the table towards Martha hopefully.

Martha's face lit up.

"No," George said firmly, looking at Martha pointedly. She frowned back at him. "If John doesn't want you at his party, that is his decision to make. I can hardly blame him, given the way you've treated him throughout the years. You can wait for the televised announcement, just like everyone else."

"But I'm not everyone else!" Alexander whined, slumping back in his seat like a petulant child. "I'm the Secretary of the Treasury. Surely that merits some inside information."

George looked at Angelica, shaking his head and smiling. "What about you? Are you going to start begging for information?"

Angelica shrugged, also smiling. "I don't think it matters all that much, honestly. Adams didn't do much during your presidency; I don't think that his vice president would do much, either."

"If Adams dies - which, let's be honest, he's overweight and constantly stressed out - whoever he chooses could run the goddamn country," Alexander spoke as though everyone should be as stressed out as he was. "Do you think it's okay, George? Do you approve of whoever it is?"

"I think they're fine," George answered with an absent-minded wave of the hand. "May I please enjoy my dinner?"

Alexander turned to look at Angelica, ignoring George. "You don't know, do you?"

"Alex, how would I know?"

"Maybe Church found out, somehow. He seems well-connected. He didn't tell you anything?" Alexander was grasping at straws.

"Alex," Angelica shook her head, her mouth quirking into a smile.

"Fine," Alexander stabbed at his plate with his fork. "I guess I'll just wait until the stupid announcement like every other person in this country."

* * *

"I am proud to announce my running mate for next year's election," John Adams was standing at the podium, his cheeks red against the cold January weather. "Thomas Jefferson will be joining me on this journey. We have discussed policy at length, and -"

"God damn it!" Alexander thundered, his voice drowning out whatever it was Adams was saying. He threw the remote onto the couch across the room, his expression murderous. He turned to look at Angelica, seething. "Fucking Jefferson? Fucking _Jefferson_. Why would Adams choose Jefferson? He's not even a fucking federalist."

"Are you mad that he chose Thomas, or that he didn't choose you?" Angelica inquired carefully, looking at Alexander critically.

Alexander's eyes narrowed. "That he chose Jefferson. I don't give a shit if he chooses me, so long as he doesn't choose some dumbass who is going to destroy the country. I'll never be able to work in a cabinet with him. If anything, he's going to convince Adams to fire me."

His expression grew somber as he realized the reality of his words. "Can we afford for me to lose my job?"

"Stop it, Alex." Angelica didn't like it when Alexander resigned to such a gloomy fate instead of thinking of a way out. "You're not going to get fired. Thomas won't have any control over the cabinet. If Adams fires you, it's going to be because you called him a fat ass at Christmas party this year; not because Thomas tells him to."

Alexander's jaw muscles tensed. "Did you know?"

"Know what?" Angelica asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

"About this," Alexander pointed to the TV, which had conveniently been muted when he threw the remote. "Did Jefferson tell you?"

"No," Angelica folded her arms across her chest. "I haven't spoken to Thomas since the reunion. I had no idea about this."

"Do you approve of it?"

"I don't care about it," Angelica was already tired of this conversation. "And neither should you. Why don't we go upstairs and finish packing for New York? Your debt plan is way more important than any of this. Don't give Thomas the satisfaction of your anger. He probably wants you to be distracted by this so you won't get your debt plan through before George's presidency is over."

Alexander sighed, his posture relaxing. "You're right. I just -"

Angelica's phone interrupted what would have otherwise been an apology. Both Angelica and Alexander's eyes turned to the screen to see the identification of the caller.

Thomas.

In fact, when they turned around to look at the TV, they could see Thomas loitering in the background while Adams continued on with his speech, his phone pressed to his ear.

"For fuck's sake," Alexander turned and stomped up the stairs towards their bedroom.

"Alex," Angelica climbed the steps as she answered her phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Angie," Thomas sounded elated. Objectively, Angelica understood and respected this. Thomas had struggled for so long before finding this droplet of success. His years spent as the governor of Virginia had been fraught with disasters through no fault of his own; his own constituents loathed him. This was the easiest way for him to get a foot through the White House door. "Did you see the announcement?"

"I did," Angelica answered, leaning against the doorframe of hers and Alexander's bedroom. It was much bigger than the bedroom in their first house. Sometimes, though, Angelica hated it for that exact reason. The space gave Alexander room to distance himself from her. He was doing so at that very moment. He was throwing clothes into his suitcase and pretending not to hear her as she spoke into the phone. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," Thomas breathed. Angelica had never heard him sound so elated before. "I, um, I'm having a separate rally to accept the nomination this weekend. I know this is last minute, but Adams forbade me from telling you in particular about the nomination. He thought you'd tell Hamilton, and I just couldn't risk it."

Angelica understood. Thomas still seemed to feel the need to justify himself.

"Anyway, I'll understand if you can't make it - it being last minute and all - but I'd really like it if you'd go to the rally," Thomas continued on hastily. Angelica could hear Adams' speech in the background, accompanied by clapping. She couldn't believe that Thomas was calling her under such circumstances. "Hamilton can even come, if he wants. I just…I want you to see me being successful."

Angelica smiled against her will. Alexander saw it and scowled. Face reddening somewhat, Angelica looked down at her shoes. "I'd love to go, Tom, but Alex has to go to New York for his debt plan, and I promised that I'd go with him."

"What is he asking you to do?" Alexander demanded, looking up from his packing.

Angelica pressed the speaker of the phone to her shoulder, looking at Alexander apologetically. "He wants us there when he accepts the nomination. Do you think that we could come back from New York for a day to hear it?"

"He doesn't want _us_ there, he wants _you_ there," Alexander was not willing to buy into Angelica's sugar-coated explanation.

"He said that you could come, too."

"Oh, did he?" Judging from the tone of Alexander's voice and the frantic way that he returned to his packing, this was the wrong thing to say. "Well, then, problem solved! Jefferson says that it's okay to attend a political event with you! Thank Christ - I was so worried."

"Don't be shitty," Angelica commanded, though she felt less authoritative than she sounded. "Will you take a day off for it?"

"No," Alexander didn't look up from his packing.

"Fine," Angelica snapped, returning her phone to her ear. She was fairly certain that Thomas had been able to hear at least snippets of their conversation, but pretended that she was blissfully unaware of it. "Hey, Tom. Sorry about that. It doesn't look like Alex is going to be able to come back to the city in time, but I'll be there."

"Great," Thomas gushed.

"Wait, what?" Alexander wasn't so delighted. "No, Annie, when I said no, I meant that neither of us are going."

"Hold on a minute, Tom," Angelica returned her phone to her shoulder, looking Alexander squarely in the eye. "What do you mean, neither of us are going?"

Alexander drew himself up to his full height, preparing himself for an argument. "I meant exactly that. We're not going. We need to be in New York. Jefferson can go fuck himself."

"Why is it that you think I need to be in New York?" Angelica inquired, her eyes narrowing.

"You said that you'd be there to help me," Alexander reminded her, his voice rising. "Are you going to back out because Jefferson beckoned you at the last possible minute?"

"I was going to come back for a day," Angelica hated having to explain herself. "Who do you think you are, telling me that I'm not going somewhere?"

"Your husband," Alexander snarled. "I think that it's entirely within reason that I insist that you follow through on a promise that you made to me instead of running home because one of your lovers has called you."

"I am going to a political event, not a brothel," Angelica growled. "Grow up. It isn't as though I've ever made any secret about Thomas and I. I'm not going to ask for your permission. I'm going. You can do with that what you will. You already know that you've been invited."

Alexander looked at Angelica with nothing short of pure contempt. "Do you remember that night in Philadelphia? When you told me that _I_ was the only person you needed?"

"I was seventeen," Angelica responded coldly, rolling her eyes. "I was a child."

"You told me that you loved me," Alexander zipped up his suitcase and threw it onto the floor, yanking the handle upwards in an angry movement. He looked to Angelica with shocking directness, his eyes misty. "Did you mean that? Or was that just another childish promise?"

"Where are you going?" Angelica avoided the question, watching as Alexander approached her with his suitcase trailing behind him.

"To New York," Alexander walked right past her, heading down the hall towards the staircase.

"Wait," Angelica insisted, hating how helpless she sounded. "I haven't packed my things yet. I thought we weren't leaving until tomorrow."

"You're not coming," Alexander didn't turn around as he told her this. "I don't want you there."

"Alex," Angelica protested, walking to the top of the stairs to catch his attention.

She didn't.

The door slammed closed before she could get in another word.

Eyes watering and lips trembling, Angelica brought her phone up to her face once again. "Tom?"

"Hey, Angie," Thomas hadn't heard the argument. It was obvious from the lightness of his voice. Angelica could practically hear his smile. "Listen, I should go. John's about to call me back on stage to make some kind of speech. I'll see you at the rally, yeah?"

"Yeah," A single tear spilled from Angelica's right eye, rolling down her cheek as she forced herself to sound pleasant. "I'll see you there."


	23. Chapter 23

Angelica was in her office, writing some terrible analysis of the Euro and missing Quincy's incomparable research when there was a knock on her door.

"Come in," She sighed, assuming that it was her new boss, there to make her life more difficult with another assignment. "I'm nearly finished with this write-up, I just need a few more hours…or an intern, if you have one to spare."

"Don't worry about that." Angelica's boss dropped into the chair across from her desk. "CNN has another assignment for you. Secretary Hamilton is your brother-in-law, isn't he?"

"Yes…" Angelica answered tentatively.

Angelica's boss nodded grimly. "He's giving a press conference independent of the president. Don't know what that's all about. They want you to cover it. I guess they figure that you'll get an interview to clarify a few things if you need it."

"He doesn't play favorites with the press," Angelica shrugged.

"Will you do it, or won't you?" Her boss demanded impatiently.

"I'll do it," Of course Angelica would go. She would run anywhere on earth that held the promise of Alexander Hamilton. "But you'll need to find someone to cover this piece on the Euro."

"Consider it done," Her boss was already out of the chair, headed for the door. "Have a safe flight, Mrs. Church."

* * *

Angelica was thrilled to be able to visit home. Given the short notice that Alexander had given regarding his press conference, she didn't get to see him prior to the conference. She had breakfast with Eliza and the kids, then hurried off to the White House conference room to see what is was that Alexander had to say.

She was relieved to see that after the six months that she had been in England, Alexander had not changed one bit. He walked out into the conference room, his eyes scanning the crowd. They were a shade darker than usual, but Angelica figured that that had to do with the lack of sleep that she was sure he was suffering from. Angelica shifted in her seat, hoping that Alexander would afford her that special smile of his.

He didn't.

He pretended that he didn't see her as he took the podium and cleared his throat nervously.

That was odd.

Alexander always started a press conference with a smile and a joke. He carefully cultivated his relationship with the press. Something was wrong.

Angelica looked around for Eliza. Eliza would know what was wrong.

But Eliza wasn't there.

Eliza had never missed a conference before.

Angelica had just assumed when she left the Hamilton household that she would be meeting Angelica at the White House with the kids. It had never occurred to her that Eliza would not be there.

Alexander cleared his throat again. He finally looked up at the audience. He looked ashamed. Whatever he was about to say was not going to be good.

"I owe, perhaps, to my friends an apology for condescending to give a public explanation…"

* * *

Angelica had to listen to Alexander spend half an hour explaining an affair he had had with a political blogger's wife. In his explanation, he admitted that the only reason he was admitting to this indiscretion was because the blogger, James Reynolds, was extorting him for hush money. In the interest of avoiding any bribery scandals, Alexander had decided to come clean about the whole thing.

That was where his ethical priorities were.

Other reporters scrambled to get in a question or two. The CNN cameraman nudged Angelica, handing her a list of all of the questions that were coming in from the studio. Angelica couldn't ask them. She couldn't look at Alexander as he answered the other questions. This was the most inhumane form of torture that Angelica had ever heard of.

"I have to go," Angelica told the cameraman. "I can't report on this."

"They said that you're fired if you don't." The cameraman whispered back to Angelica. "They want you to get an exclusive interview with him afterward."

"I'm not doing that." Angelica stood up from her seat. The sound of her chair scraping against the floor drew everyone's attention to her - Alexander included. They locked eyes for just the briefest moment. Alexander looked at her apologetically. Angelica curled her lip and shook her head, refusing to let tears for this pathetic man ruin her makeup.

She turned and left the room, turning to glower at the cameraman as he trailed after her. "They'll get a brief outside of the House if they need something from me. They're not getting any more than that. And I'm through with England. I'm moving right back here tomorrow."

"I'm not in charge of your contract…" The cameraman reminded her feebly.

"This is Angelica Schuyler," Angelica fluffed her hair with her hands before turning to look into the poorly angled camera as they exited the White House. "Reporting live where Alexander Hamilton just confessed to an affair with Maria Reynolds. Anderson, back to you in the studio."

Angelica tossed the mic at the cameraman and stormed away from the White House towards the parking garage in which her car was parked.

"His poor wife," She heard one of the laughing Senators remark as she passed by a gaggle of people gossiping outside of the White House.

* * *

That night, Angelica watched the newscasts of others reporting on Alexander's press conference. She was waiting for George to release something alleging his support or disapproval of Alexander. As reporters were beginning to speculate based on what anonymous sources were saying, there was a knock on Angelica door. Most likely the room service dinner that she knew she wouldn't have an appetite for.

When she shuffled across the room and opened the door, she was surprised to see Eliza standing in the hallway, a sleeping Junior in one arm and a bag in another.

"Eliza?" Angelica didn't hide her surprise.

"Can we stay with you?" Tears began to spill out of Eliza's eyes. "Alexander is moving out tonight, and I just…I couldn't be there."

"Of course, honey." Angelica took the bag from Eliza's hand and led her into the room. "I was going to call you, but I…I didn't know what to say, and I…babe, I'm so sorry."

Eliza shook her head, her lips thinning as she struggled against her tears. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I built my life around him."

"And it wasn't fair of him to let you do that in the first place," Angelica told her firmly. "But now he's flown to close to the sun - he's made a mistake and you two needs to reconcile with that fact. Whether or not it's forgivable is entirely your decision."

Angelica hated that she had to put her own grieving aside to comfort Eliza. She hated that she didn't get the same level of sympathy that Eliza did. The only difference between them was a marriage certificate. Otherwise, they were both two women desperately in love with a man who was destined to be great - be it a great success or a great failure.

Eliza's phone started ringing. She sighed, wiping away her tears with her free hand before struggling to set Junior on Angelica's hotel bed without waking him up. She pulled her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans. Angelica could see from the contact picture that it was Alexander.

"Hello?" Eliza answered it anyway. Angelica begrudgingly respected her for that. Had Alexander called her - which he had not yet done - she would have ignored him. She would have savored in hurting him the way that he had hurt her.

Eliza's expression altered from grief to anger so many times in the thirty seconds that she allowed Alexander to explain himself that Angelica was mildly concerned.

When he finished speaking, there was a long pause. Eliza allowed the silence to linger in a way that Angelica could never have.

"Do you know what Angelica said?" She finally asked, her voice quivering. Angelica herself flinched at the steely tone in her sister's voice. She flinched at the usage of a joke that used to be fondly spoken. "She said that I've married an Icarus - that you've flown too close to the sun."

 **Rewind**

Angelica didn't hear from Alexander for weeks after Thomas' rally. It could have had something to do with the massive picture of her and Thomas gracing the front page of several newspapers - local and national. In the picture, Thomas was sweeping Angelica up into a hug. Angelica's face was nestled into Thomas' neck, her face broken out into an exhilarated smile. They looked happy.

But Angelica was not happy.

Throughout the entire rally, she had been checking her phone every 30 seconds. She was desperate for Alexander to respond to one of the dozens of texts that she had sent him since he had left the house. She had simply forced herself to assume the façade of happiness when she saw the expectant look on Thomas' face at the close of his speech. He needed someone to be proud of him; that was the sole reason that he had invited Angelica. He didn't have parents, he didn't have a spouse, he didn't have siblings…Angelica was all that he had.

Alexander was all that Angelica had, though.

She paced the floors each day, listening to Alexander's phone ring 4 times before launching into his voicemail. Angelica hung up every time that she got his voicemail. It was full. She had used all of its storage the morning after Thomas' rally.

She had gone home with him, mostly to spite Alexander, and had been given an extensive tour of Monticello. He was considering doing some renovations. Angelica carelessly offered him her half-hearted opinions the whole time, still checking her phone for any communication that Alexander might have granted her.

The tour ended at Thomas' bedroom. Angelica knew that it would. She knew the trajectory that the evening was on the moment that Thomas asked her to join him back at his Virginia estate.

The next morning, she woke up before Thomas. That wasn't a surprise - Thomas slept like a hibernating bear. She crept out of bed and left the bedroom as quickly and quietly as possible. It was difficult to wake Thomas, but Angelica knew that if she did, she would be stuck at Monticello for another day. She inched her way downstairs, cringing every time the wooden stairs groaned beneath her weight. She called a cab as quietly as possible. The cab company didn't have too difficult a time understanding why a woman was whispering into her phone early in the morning - this was most likely not the first time that they were called upon to rescue a woman from a one-night-stand situation - but they did have a difficult time finding Monticello. Thomas had done an incredible job of making sure that his estate was off the beaten path.

The cab had taken forever to reach the gravel pathway that Angelica had directed them to. By the time that Angelica received the blessed text telling her to come outside, Thomas could be heard getting out of bed upstairs.

She had barely gotten out of the house in time.

He called her immediately, wondering where she had gone. Angelica made up some lie about needing to get to work to help Church solve a problem. She didn't care whether or not Thomas believed her. He must have sensed that; he never asked another question about it.

For days following her less-than-glamorous departure from Monticello, Thomas texted Angelica regarding the renovations that he was making to Monticello. Like she cared. Like she really cared that Thomas was constructing an office perfectly decorated to her tastes. Like she cared that he was obviously creating a home that she would like. Like she cared that he was so obviously planning for a future in which she lived there.

No, Angelica did not care. She only cared that Alexander was not answering his phone.

Four weeks after the picture of her and Thomas had been printed for the first time, Angelica had had enough. She called Alexander first thing in the morning - a habit that she had picked up since his departure - and waited to be redirected to his voicemail. He'd cleared it a few days prior, so there was still room for a new message.

"Alex," Angelica's voice was firmer than it had been in past voicemails. "Talk to me. I'm tired of being married to your voicemail. If you won't have the decency to call me back, I'm going to fly out to New York. I already have my bags packed. I'll see you in four hours."

Angelica stomped up the stairs and threw a handful of jeans and t-shirts into her suitcase. She didn't care if the press snapped pictures of her walking around New York looking like a slob; it was possible that her marriage was over and she didn't have time to waste on carefully selecting camera-ready outfits.

Just as she was zipping up the suitcase, her phone rang. She glanced over, fully expecting to see Thomas' information appear on her screen. She was stunned when she saw Alexander's instead.

"Hello?" The certainty was gone from her voice as she answered.

"Annie," Alexander didn't sound right. Straight off the bat, Angelica noticed. His voice didn't contain its usual playful element. It was hoarse. There were voices in the background - he must have been in a crowded place. Maybe walking through the city.

"Alex," Angelica tried to offset his strange tone by using a pleasant tone. "Hey. I was beginning to think that you would never call. Look, about the rally, I -"

"Annie," Alexander cut her off, his tone flat. "I need to tell you something."


	24. Chapter 24

Once Alexander was out of the house for good, Eliza and Junior returned to the Hamilton household. She had spent her time in Angelica's hotel room planning out what she was going to say to Philip and Baby when she returned to the house. It was impossible to hope that they did not know exactly what was going on by now; news of Alexander's press conference was everywhere. One couldn't log on to any site on the internet without seeing some reference to it. Every late-night show host was crafting deft jokes about it. Alexander and Maria's faces graced the cover of every newspaper for days following the conference.

The day that Eliza returned home, Angelica called CNN and demanded that she be reassigned to D.C. She used the excuse of a family emergency, threatening to quit if she was not granted her request. She then called Church and informed him that they were moving again. Church bemoaned pulling Johnny out of yet another school, but Angelica left him little choice.

This was a family emergency, she told him.

As for Alexander…well, Angelica didn't ask, but it turned out that she didn't have to. It became common knowledge around D.C. that Alexander was living in his downtown office. He could not, after all, stay at the White House following his scandal. Some people - men, mostly - expressed their sympathy for Alexander's living situation. They admired him for refusing to rent an apartment, for believing that he would find his way home again. Angelica hated him for it - for his arrogance. For his refusal to just accept failure. For his refusal to quit. For the very traits that made him Alexander. She hated him for not knowing how badly those traits could hurt Eliza.

Angelica knew. She, Church, and Johnny had moved into the Hamilton house to take care of Eliza and the kids as much as they could. It was awful. Philip was getting into fights. Baby wouldn't talk to anyone other than Philip. Junior didn't sleep through the night. Eliza, though, she was the most troubling. When all of the kids went to bed, Eliza would pour herself a glass of Alexander's favorite wine and watched what was dubbed the "Reynolds Affair" press conference on repeat. Angelica sat with her every night, pretending that the reel didn't make her stomach churn. She had to pretend that her own heart wasn't breaking every single night while Eliza cried into her shoulder.

It was an unsustainable way to live, so it really wasn't a surprise when things came to a head one chilly Wednesday afternoon when Eliza and Church were both called to the high school. Philip and Johnny had gotten into a fight with some boy who had said something about Alexander. They had broken that boy's arm and the school was none too pleased about it.

"You're grounded," Eliza told Philip when she finally got him home. She folded her arms across her chest, obviously trying to pretend that Philip's recent behavior didn't scare the hell out of her.

"You too," Church glowered at Johnny, who was sulking next to Philip. "What were you thinking?"

"It wasn't our fault!" Johnny protested. "They were talking about Uncle Alex like he was some kind of…some kind of…"

Philip looked down at the ground, his upper lip stiffening in an effort not to cry. He looked five years younger like this.

Angelica turned to look at Eliza, anger burning in her chest. That anger only swelled when she saw that tears were forming in Eliza's eyes, as well. Church followed Angelica's gaze, his expression softening when he, too, came to the conclusion that Eliza was not up for this conversation just yet.

"Go to your room," Church told the boys firmly.

"But, Dad!" Johnny protested, his face reddening.

"Now." Church insisted.

"This is such bullshit," Johnny grumbled as he and Philip skulked up the stairs towards their rooms.

"Watch that mouth of yours!" Church called after Johnny. "Next time I hear that, I'm taking your Playstation!"

Johnny's door slammed upstairs. Philip's slammed seconds after Johnny's.

"Honey, are you okay?" Angelica immediately spoke to Eliza. She wasn't too concerned about whatever lecture Church was planning on giving her about swearing around Johnny. "You know that isn't your fault, don't you? They're just working through all of this in their own way. It won't last forever."

Tears spilled from Eliza's eyes. She glanced back in the direction, where Junior was monitoring Baby while she did her homework.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," She whispered. "When Alexander was here, this all seemed so manageable, but now that he's gone, I…I'm not enough. I'm failing them. Philip is fighting, Baby isn't talking, and Junior is having those awful nightmares. I can't do this on my own."

"Of course you can." Angelica insisted firmly. "It's just going to take some getting used to."

Eliza shook her head, wiping at her tears with her hand. "I should get back in there…I have to find the kids a tutor. I never know the answer to their homework questions. I should…"

Eliza liked to keep busy when she was upset. Angelica tried not to pressure her to express her feelings during these times.

"Can you watch Johnny?" She asked Church instead, watching as Eliza left the living room to join the children in the kitchen. "I have a meeting that I need to get to."

"Right now?" Church demanded incredulously. He gestured towards the staircase. "We're not done with this yet. We still have to go talk to him. He's fighting, he's swearing…he's only fourteen, Angelica. This isn't acceptable behavior."

"He's a teenager," Angelica responded irritably, grabbing her purse off of the couch. "The more we tell him not to swear, the more he'll want to do it. Don't give him the shock value he's looking for."

"Thanks, Dr. Spock." Church murmured sarcastically, following Angelica to the front door. "And the fighting? Are we supposed to pretend that we don't care about that, either?"

"What do you want me to say, Church?" Angelica sighed, turning to face him. "If Philip is out in the schoolyard getting into fights, maybe Johnny should be there making sure that he doesn't get killed. He's a teenager. They're supposed to get into trouble. You heard the school - if he writes that apology letter, no one is pressing charges. It's fine."

"It is not fine!" Church hissed. "He's going down the wrong path! Any day now, he'll -"

"Can we please finish this when I get home?" Angelica had little patience for Church's parenting lessons at the moment.

Church's shoulders slumped. He looked like he was coming to some sort of conclusion. Angelica didn't bother wondering what kind of conclusion it was. If it got her out of the door, it was good enough. He shrugged and shook his head.

"Fine." He said simply. "Go."

Angelica didn't look back as she walked out of the front door.

* * *

"Alexander," Angelica just about choked on his name.

Alexander whipped around to face Angelica. His eyes were sunken, his skin was sallow and his hair was wild. It had gray streaks in it. He was a far cry from the well-dressed, well-kept figure that Angelica had always known. His expression changed from one of anguish to one of hope.

"Annie," He said her name like a plea. "Thank god you're here. I can't do this alone. I need -"

"No, Alexander," Angelica said firmly. "I'm not here to help you. I don't want to help you. I'm here for Eliza, and Eliza only. She's the one who deserves help, if you'll remember."

Alexander's face fell. His shoulders slumped. He suddenly looked 10 years older. When he spoke, his voice was low and hoarse. "Have you seen her?"

Angelica pursed her lips and nodded.

"How is she?" Alexander edged closer, his eyes pleading.

Angelica looked away from him, trying very hard not to cry. Here was the only man that she had ever loved, pleading for forgiveness from her sister. It hadn't even occurred to him to ask for hers. She wasn't essential to him the way that Eliza was. She was optional.

"Annie." He dropped to his knees in front of her. "Please. I know that I'm in the wrong. I messed up. I really did. But I can't lose her. I just can't."

"Did you tell her that you loved her?" Angelica couldn't resist asking.

"Who? Maria? I don't…" It finally occurred to Alexander that Angelica was hurting, too. Angelica hated him for taking so long to consider her. "Annie, no. Maria was…a mistake. Wrong. She was a bad habit and nothing more. You're not like her, you're -"

"We're done," Angelica said decisively, before he could reel her in with those beautiful words of his.

Alexander visibly recoiled. "What?"

"We're done," Angelica repeated, pretending that her own heart wasn't aching at her words. "When I stood by for Eliza, I thought that I was doing what was best for my sister. She loved you, Alex. She loved you so…" Her voice wobbled. She looked away as tears sprang from her eyes unbidden. "She loved you so much."

Alexander's own eyes welled up.

Angelica wiped at her eyes, ignoring the smudged makeup that was all over her hands. She swallowed hard and continued. "I thought that you would be better for her; be a good husband. At the very least, I thought that you could be discreet."

Alexander looked down, his cheeks wet with tears.

"That's all that you had to do," Angelica was getting angry again. She was much more comfortable with anger than she was with grief. She let herself run wild with it. "You just had to be discrete. How do you think I felt covering the press conference where you told the whole world that you were cheating on my sister? I had to change my phone number and take an unpaid vacation from work."

"I didn't know that you -"

"Eliza has been watching the press conference every night when the kids are asleep. Or, at least, pretending to be asleep. She keeps convincing herself that it was all a dream." Angelica wanted to make him feel just as bad as he had made her feel. She wanted to ruin him. "And the kids - did you even think about what this would do to the kids? Philip has gotten sent home for fighting every day since that press conference. He's got so many bruises that he looks like a leopard. Johnny is now also in trouble for helping him fight - he feels the need to defend his Uncle Alex from the kids who call him a scoundrel."

"Annie," Alexander said softly, begging her to stop. He wasn't looking at her; he was sitting on the floor, cringing away from her commentary. This was his kryptonite.

"But at least Philip talks to us," Angelica basked in this unique form of torture. She was glad that he was hurting. "Baby won't talk to anyone except for Philip. She just sits around the house, staring at the air in front of her. Eliza's tried taking her to specialists, but they can't figure out what's wrong with her because she won't speak. Do you know what that's like, Alex? Eliza's worried that she might never speak again. Especially because she isn't sure that Philip will be around to play translator, given all of the fighting that he's been doing. She thinks he'll be in some juvenile facility by the end of the year."

"But Junior's okay," Alexander was speaking purely to himself. "He's got to be okay. He's too young to understand any of this."

"Junior's been having nightmares." Angelica folded her arms across her chest. "When he wakes up, all he wants his dad. Eliza has to explain to him every single night that she doesn't know if Daddy is ever coming home."

"I'm going to come home," Alexander insisted, again speaking more to himself than to Angelica. "And everything is going to be okay again."

"Goodbye, Alexander." Angelica had a flair for dramatics. She afforded him one last disgusted look before walking out of the office and into a world in which she was no longer tied to Alexander Hamilton. It felt oddly liberating.

 **Rewind**

"What did you do?" Angelica demanded, shoving her suitcase off of the bed and sitting down. She ran a hand through her hair, running through worst-case scenarios.

"Don't be mad."

"Alex," Angelica's voice was sharp. "What did you do?"

"You know James Reynolds?" Alexander asked tentatively.

"Yeah," Angelica wracked her brains for any dirt on Reynolds. If he was causing Alexander's debt plan to go South, she would ruin him.

"You know…his wife?"

She was going to kill him. She might have had affairs of her own, but at least she had the decency to be honest about them. The fact that Alexander did not tell her about this earlier meant that there was something to it - that it wasn't merely an affair.

Angelica could feel anger boiling in her chest. "Alex."

"Don't yell just yet," Alexander protested quickly and meekly. "It's a little bit worse than that."

"How is it worse?" Angelica asked through gritted teeth.

"James found out, and, well…" Alexander's voice trembled. "He wants me to pay him off. If I don't, he says he'll go to the press."

"You didn't give him any money, did you?" Angelica demanded angrily. "If anyone heard that you bribed a lowlife blogger to cover up an affair, your career will be ruined."

"So, what should I do? A preemptive speech telling the public? I could denounce Reynolds as a solicitor of bribes?"

"Absolutely not. That might be your worst idea ever."

Alexander let out a frustrated noise. "Then what the hell am I supposed to do, Annie? Reynolds gave me until the end of the week to make the first payment."

"Give me a day. Will you do that for me?" Angelica picked up her suitcase and hurried down the stairs. She locked the front door behind her.

"What am I supposed to do until then?" Alexander was not known for having a great deal of patience.

"Don't you have a debt plan to get through Congress?" Angelica was not too sympathetic. "Wasn't that the whole reason that you flew out to New York? Or was that all a ruse to go play with Mrs. Reynolds?"

"Annie." Alexander's tone warned her against continuing on. He was already so vulnerable. Angelica would have to pull him out of the rising water by the scruff of his neck before starting in on him again.

"Twenty-four hours. Can you sit on your hands till then?"

"Fine," Alexander didn't sound too pleased with the proposition.

"Thank you," Angelica threw her suitcase into the trunk of her car and climbed into the driver's seat. "Now, hang up. I need to make some phone calls to get you out of this mess."

"Alright," Alexander resigned. "But Annie, you know that I -"

Angelica hung up on him. She was far too angry with him for getting himself in this situation to hear any kind of explanation that he might have made.

It was easier when she had believed that he didn't have time to spend with her. That he was too busy with his job to ever spend a night by her side. James Reynolds' wife had ruined that illusion. It was now plain to her that if he wanted, Alexander could make ample time for her. He just didn't want to.

Angelica pushed those thoughts aside, punching in the next phone number at a red light. If she dwelled on thoughts of Alexander, they would paralyze her. It was much easier to approach this problem objectively, as though it were just another task that she was taking care of at work.

* * *

"How can I help you, Mrs. Hamilton?" James Reynolds was smirking at her like the cat who'd caught the canary. Angelica did not care for that at all. She stared back at him resolutely.

"You can stop using your wife to extort my husband, for starters," She answered, her eyes narrowing. She could see a picture of the wife sitting on James' desk.

"Hmm, he's told you." James was still speaking as though he had the upper hand. "Well, Mrs. Hamilton, I'll tell you the same thing that I told him - he's hurt my pride a great deal by carrying on with my wife the way that he has. The way I see it, there's no reason that I shouldn't at least have the opportunity to break the story first. You know how valuable stories about your husband are nowadays, especially with that bill he's been trying to force through Congress. If you're going to ask me to sit on this story, you're going to have to make it worth my while."

"Are you done?" Angelica inquired, leaning back in her hair.

For the first time, James looked uncertain. "What do you mean?"

"Here's the situation, as I see it," Angelica tossed the manila folder that she'd been holding onto James' desk. She kept talking as he began to look through it. "I've worked closely with the owner of the company that allows bloggers like you to maintain a domain name for a fair price. In fact, I've built several websites on the same platform, so I know exactly what your contract looks like. It's completely within the owner's rights to blacklist your website - just like the neo-nazis and other hate blogs - so that the only platform that will take you is in fucking Siberia. And the owner of the company? He's in the palm of my hand. If I tell him to hit that button, he will. Is that clear? I will strip you of this livelihood in an instant."

"So I take the story to the papers," James sniffed, trying to look undisturbed. "They'll pay me for it."

"Oh, no they won't," Angelica crooked a cold smile, shaking her head. "Because I've spoken to both your therapist and your banker. Your therapist says that you have delusions of grandeur and your banker says that you're broke. Both are enough to discredit you as a source before the paper hits the printer. Every paper knows better than to publish an unreliable source."

"You spoke to my therapist?" James' eyes widened. "That's confidential. He wouldn't tell you any of that."

"Look in the folder," Angelica shrugged. "It's all there; signed and ready to be mailed to every editor in the country."

"Maria has texts," James was grasping at straws. Angelica assumed that he was talking about his wife. "From your husband. Proof that it really happened."

Angelica gave him a piteous look. "We'll say that you fabricated them. How on earth could you ever prove otherwise?"

"Why are you helping him?" James' last strategy was his best one - divide and conquer. "He cheated on you, just like Maria cheated on me."

"He's on my team," Angelica answered, standing up and grabbing her bag off of the back of James' uncomfortable chairs. "And I refuse to be on a losing team. Now, are we through here?"

"I hate you," James looked at Angelica with darkened eyes.

"The feeling is mutual," Angelica assured him, approaching the door and opening it. She turned to look at him one last time. "Don't try to destroy this family again. Neither of us wants me to have to come back to this house again."

* * *

Angelica didn't visit Alexander while she was in New York. She wasn't ready to see him. After walking into James Reynolds' house and threatening him, she got right back in her car and returned home.

But the house felt suffocating.

Everything reminded her of Alexander at home. There was the picture on the wall that looked like the picture of Maria on James' desk. There were Alexander's shoes strewn about. Angelica didn't want to wonder whether Alexander left clothes behind when he saw Maria.

She left her suitcase by the front door as she exited the house again. She got into her car and drove without thinking about an exact destination. She was hardly surprised when this thoughtless escape left her sitting in the parking lot in front of Church's office building.

She turned off the car and grabbed her office key from her glove box. She entered the office with little fanfare, hardly expecting anyone to be in the office on a Saturday night.

What was unexpected was John Church's presence in Aaron Burr's office. Angelica walked past the office to get to her own but stopped short when she saw Church sitting on the floor of Aaron's office.

"Church?" She didn't hide her surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Church looked up at her in surprise. Ten empty miniature liquor bottles were scattered on the ground around him. His surprise quickly dimmed into grim acceptance. "I caught Theo cheating on me with Aaron Burr."

"Oh," Angelica felt a pang of guilt. She'd forgotten that she'd seen them together at the reunion. She flicked on the light in Aaron's office and sat on the ground beside Church. "If it's any consolation, I just got back from New York; I had to stop a story about Alex cheating on me from coming out in the press."

Church somberly offered her another mini bottle of liquor. It was whiskey. Angelica frowned but accepted it.

"She has cancer," Church remarked after a few minutes of drinking in silence. "Terminal. I've been busting my ass making sure that I can be home early most days to take care of her and the kids, and she's been repaying me by fucking Aaron Burr."

"Shit," Angelica sighed, thumping her head back against the office wall.

"Shit," Church agreed. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

Angelica shrugged. Church turned to look at her, his eyes hollow.

"Do you know what you're going to do?" He inquired.

"I don't know," Angelica shook her head. "I never thought that it would be like this. I thought that work was supposed to be the hard part of life at this age."

"I thought that I was going to love her for the rest of her life," Church mumbled, wiping his face with his hand. "It might've been vain, but I had this whole idea of what her last months would be like. I'd be the pillar of support that she needed, she'd be this incredible mother to our children, and when her time came, we'd both take comfort in the fact that we had done everything just right."

"Alex and I were never that perfect," Angelica admitted. "But I thought that he would always be honest with me. I don't care so much about the other woman, I just…I don't want to be lied to. I've never lied to him about something like this."

"I have never cheated on her," Church contributed, frowning. "Never. Not that I didn't have plenty of chances."

"I should've behaved worse to him," Angelica was only half-listening to Church. "I don't know why I was always so worried about his feelings. He obviously wasn't worried about mine."

"I should have just cheated," Church didn't seem to be listening to Angelica, either. "All those nights when she said that she wasn't feeling well…she was just already satisfied from her lunchtime rendezvous with Aaron Burr. There was no reason for me to be so understanding."

"I should have…"

They turned to look at one another, each daring the other to act on their bad intentions. Both were all too willing to accept this challenge. Angelica leaned closer, angling her body towards Church's. Church placed his right hand on the back of Angelica's head and met her halfway, pressing his chapped, whiskey-flavored lips to hers.

* * *

"Annie?" Angelica heard Alexander's frantic voice first thing in the morning. His voice was followed by the front door slamming shut and the familiar sound of his heavy, insistent footsteps up the stairs.

Angelica climbed out of bed, guilt clawing at her chest.

She hadn't been able to sleep the night prior. After returning home from the office, she had showered for 45 minutes in the hopes of removing the shame crawling across her skin like fleas. It hadn't worked. She then tried to watch some TV in bed to take her mind off of the memory of Church moving over her like the specter of Alexander. It hadn't worked. At that point, she gave up. She spent the rest of the night staring at the wall and hating herself.

"Annie." Alexander burst through the door to the bedroom. "I caught the first flight out of New York. Look, I am…I am so sorry. Maria was a mistake. I was in a bad place, I saw that picture of you and Jefferson, and I…I should have called you back, but I demonized you in your absence which made it easier to justify what I was doing, and I…" He licked his lips and shook his head. "Please don't let this ruin our marriage. I know that it was completely my fault and I don't deserve you and I have no right whatsoever to ask you not to leave, but I'm going to ask anyway. Stay. Please. It'll get better. _I'll_ get better. Please, Annie."

"Okay," Angelica didn't know that she was crying until Alexander surged forward and wiped some tears from her cheek with an ink-stained thumb.

"Okay?" He spoke quietly, like Angelica's answer could be scared away.

"Okay," Angelica tried to gulp down air, but it felt as though a lead weight was sitting on her lungs. "Let's be better. Both of us."

The joy on Alexander's face shouldn't have caused Angelica as much pain as it did. He pulled her into a hug. It made Angelica's skin itch. "I love you, Annie."

"I love you too, Alex." God help her, she did.

"No more fuckups," Alexander pulled Angelica away suddenly, holding her away from him by the shoulders. "Okay? I'm through with all of that."

Angelica tried to smile, but her lips wobbled and her eyes leaked. Alexander misinterpreted this expression of guilt and smiled, pulling Angelica close to his chest again. "We're going to be okay, right? We're going to be okay."

Angelica could do nothing other than press her face against Alexander's shoulder and sob.

* * *

Angelica was trying so hard to be a good wife, and Alexander was trying so hard to be a good husband. They were both determined to make their marriage work; to be absolved of their sins against one another.

Angelica woke up early every morning to read through all of Alexander's new papers. She gave him feedback over breakfast, which he cooked while she read.

Alexander left work early every single night to have dinner with Angelica. She tried to cook for a few days, but confirmed her earlier suspicions that she hated it. Instead, she made arrangements for meals to be delivered by the time that Alexander arrived home from work. Alexander asked Angelica about her day every single evening.

Angelica submitted her two weeks notice the day after Alexander's return from New York. Church accepted it without any additional comment. It appeared that he regretted their night in Aaron's office just as much as Angelica did.

To occupy her newfound free time, Angelica found a job working on a local county council campaign. It was a huge step down from her normal career moves, but she was putting Alexander before her career. She figured that he deserved that much - after all, she had slept with her boss at her last job.

She had also begun to ignore Thomas' phone calls. She already knew why he was calling - to ask her to work on John Adams' campaign, now that she was available. They both knew that he was not offering her this job because he trusted her to bring about a victory - he just wanted an opportunity to see her every day. Angelica was fairly certain that it was not in her marriage's best interest to allow this.

Everything was going well. Things weren't perfect - both Alexander and Angelica were too smart to believe that things could ever be perfect again - but they were good enough. Alexander was happy, and so was Angelica.

Angelica found, though, that something like complacency was very fragile.

She went to her physician for her annual checkup - fully expecting the usual lecture on getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, and avoiding stress - and got a very unexpected lecture, instead.

She was pregnant. Again.

"H-how?" Angelica asked shakily, her mind reeling. "I mean, how far along?"

"Mm," The doctor checked her clipboard, scanning for a number. "It looks like you're about one month along, but you'll want to meet with a gynecologist for a more accurate number. I believe that you may also discuss options there, if you…"

Angelica shook her head. "No, I don't…one month. Really?"

Alexander had not been home for a month. One month ago, he had been in New York dealing with James Reynolds. One month ago, Angelica had sat on Aaron Burr's office floor with Church.


	25. Chapter 25

While Eliza avoided Alexander's calls, texts, letters, emails, and eventual custody papers, Angelica tried to help her raise the three kids who were left in Alexander's wake.

Now seventeen, Philip looked exactly like Alexander. Baby, now fifteen, took after Eliza in almost every way but her eyes. Her eyes harbored incomparable intelligence, just like her father's. Junior looked like his own little person. He was chubbier than the other two, with bright red cheeks and flaming red hair. Now eight, he didn't possess the same haunting sadness that his other two siblings did. He hadn't been old enough when Alexander had left to allow it to crush his bubbly spirit.

But that was good. The house needed some light in it. Eliza always did say that Junior was her main source of happiness these days.

Johnny was fine, too, though Church didn't seem to know what to do with himself when he wasn't micromanaging every little thing the poor boy did; not that Johnny ever told him to fuck off. He was oddly indulgent of the family and its strange behaviors. He listened to Philip's tirades on every news outlet that continued to criticize his father with startling patience; he helped Baby with her homework every single night and even managed to strike up witty repertoire with her after some time of trying; he took Junior to all of his soccer games and helped him practice on weekends.

He must have figured that since Angelica was trying so hard to keep the family together, he should, too. Angelica was proud of him for that.

Church didn't seem to like Johnny's generosity towards the Hamilton family, though. Whenever he found Johnny tutoring Baby in the kitchen, he would remind Johnny of his own studies and his looming college applications. When he offered to help Eliza make dinner, Church would suggest that he work on getting a summer job. Angelica might have said something, but she so rarely saw Church that it didn't seem worth it. They had drifted apart since the Reynolds Affair. Angelica had sought comfort in the wake of Alexander that Church was not able to provide. Where she did find solace will hardly surprise anyone.

"Washington's stepping down this year," Thomas Jefferson mused, leaning against the pillar on the patio overseeing the Hamiltons' backyard. He looked at Angelica, who was watching him from the porch swing that Alexander had built six summers ago. "Jemmie seems to think that if I were to run for president, I might have a chance."

"Really?" Angelica raised an eyebrow. "I thought that the polls were showing favor to Adams."

"He's the natural choice," Thomas agreed with a shrug. "He's been Vice President for eight years. He knows more about the job than anyone else who could run. I respect him, and I think he'd do a fine job as President, only…"

"Only?" Angelica prompted what would surely be typical Thomas cattiness.

"Only, his foreign policy stances are archaic," Thomas complained, looking out into the backyard thoughtfully. "He wants to shut us away from the rest of the world, just when exciting things are starting to happen."

"Such as the imminent threat of nuclear war?" Angelica asked drolly.

"Among other things." Thomas smiled.

"So, what's stopping you?" Angelica decided with a sigh. She needed to wind down the conversation; the kids would be home from school soon. Like everything else, Philip had taken his father's stance on Thomas Jefferson and was rarely civil to him when he was over for dinner. To avoid disputes such as the infamous dinner of May 14th, in which Philip threw an entire basket of dinner rolls at Thomas' head, Thomas only came over during the day and only when he had something extremely important to discuss. "Go on and run for President. You know that you'd have my vote."

"What?" Apparently, time had sort of gotten away from Angelica. Philip had come out into the backyard to say some snarky comment to Thomas and had caught the tail end of the conversation. " _He's_ running for _President_?"

Philip looked at Angelica fitfully, like she was somehow responsible for this fact.

"He's thinking about it." Angelica conceded, rolling her eyes. "Don't be disrespectful, Philip."

"He ruined my dad's life!" Philip gestured at Thomas angrily. "He ruined his career and his whole fucking _life_! He's the reason that we're not all together anymore. And you would _vote_ for him?"

"Philip," Angelica admonished.

"It's a bit unfair to say that I ruined his life," Thomas interjected, very obviously not helping to de-escalate the situation. "It's not as though I forced him to sleep with that woman. A man like your father, well, I doubt he needed much convincing at all."

Before Angelica could tell Thomas to leave, or Philip to go inside, Philip had launched himself at Thomas with a startling amount of force. Thomas' nose was bleeding. Angelica was sure that was Philip's doing. The two were wrestling on the ground; Philip was trying to knock Thomas' skull into the pavement. Thomas was trying to wriggle free of Philip's grasp.

"Philip!" The struggle came to a halt when Eliza came out onto the porch. The severe tone in her voice indicated that, unlike Thomas, she was prepared to take Philip to task if he disobeyed her.

"Mom," Philip scrambled to his feet, wiping his bloodied knuckles on his khakis. "I wasn't, I…"

"Go get Mr. Jefferson some ice," Eliza commanded, not listening to Philip's bumbling explanation.

"But he -"

" _Now_." Eliza glowered at him. Philip slunk away, glowering down at the ground.

"You need to go," Angelica told Thomas once Philip was out of earshot.

"No, he doesn't." Eliza protested, kneeling down to look at the damage that her son had inflicted upon this man. "I am so sorry about him, Mr. Jefferson. Philip has been working with his therapist on controlling his anger. We will certainly be discussing this with his therapist tomorrow."

"He's just like his father," Thomas shook his head, staggering to his feet. "No sense of self-control."

Eliza's upper lip stiffened. Despite all that had happened, she still felt the instinct to defend Alexander. Angelica might have judged her for this, had she not felt the same way.

"Let's go, Thomas," She pushed him towards the backyard gate. She couldn't have him walking through the house, where Philip was undoubtedly sulking. It would only create more problems. "You've overstayed your welcome by about an hour."

"Will you call me tonight?" Thomas craned his neck to look at Angelica as he allowed her to push him towards the gate. "I really do need to figure this out. John Adams has asked me to consider being his running mate, but I'm sure that offer would fall through if he heard that I was considering running, myself."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll call you tonight. Go." Angelica got him through the gate in one final shove. She closed it behind him, like that would make him automatically disappear.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with that boy," Eliza whispered as Angelica returned to her. Angelica put her arm around Eliza's waist and guided her towards the house. "Every time that I think he's making progress, he goes and does something like this. Do you think that Mr. Jefferson is going to press charges?"

"Nah," Angelica shook her head with a small smile. "Though I'm sure that he would love to get under Alexander's skin, it's not worth it the year before an election. Suing a kid would make him look just a little bit like a comic book villain."

"Just a bit." Eliza agreed with a small smile.

As they walked into the kitchen to continue their conversation, they found Philip pouting at the kitchen table while Johnny oversaw Baby and Junior's homework proceedings. Philip looked up when Eliza and Angelica entered the room, his eyes wide and his cheeks tear-stained.

"Philip, you and I -" Eliza started what was sure to be a very strict and disapproving lecture.

"Can I take this one?" Angelica interjected with an apologetic smile.

Philip looked at Angelica in surprise but did not dare to hope that she would get him out of trouble. Behind them, Johnny's pen dropped as he turned to look at the proceedings with a sense of shock that Angelica would not understand for some time.

"Are you sure?" Eliza asked uncertainly.

"Of course. You've got enough on your plate. I can handle this." Angelica replied, her smile broadening. She nodded towards the kitchen entryway, which fed out into the living room. "Why don't we talk in the living room so these guys can do their homework in peace?"

"Okay," Philip still wasn't willing to get his hopes up just yet. He was so cynical; just like his father.

Angelica shepherded him into the living room, sitting beside him on the couch.

"You really don't like Thomas, do you?" She tried to start the conversation off lightly.

"He ruined my dad's life," Philip mumbled sullenly.

"How do you think that he did that?" Angelica asked with a small sigh.

"Dad told me what he did." Philip turned to look at Angelica seriously. He looked more like Alexander than ever when he was angry. "He told me that Jefferson blackmailed him so that he had to come out with the whole Reynolds thing."

He never said the word "affair." No one ever corrected him. He idolized his father; no one wanted to tell him that Alexander was not the man that Philip believed him to be. If Philip didn't know that by now, he never would.

"That was unkind," Alexander had told Angelica this same story. She'd talked it over with Thomas, who had confirmed that he knew about the affair but refused to take credit for the blackmail itself. Apparently, he'd tormented Alexander with knowledge of the affair for a little while before throwing the information to Aaron Burr and letting him use it for blackmail. "He shouldn't have done that, but Philip, you know that that's your dad's battle, don't you? You don't have to rush to defend him every time that you think you should."

"He's my dad," Philip didn't seem to understand this concept. "And it's not like anyone else is going to stand up for him. You and Mom hate him, everyone on the news only says the bad stuff about him, and now…is Jefferson really running for president? He'll ruin Dad. He hates him."

"He won't ruin him," Angelica knew that was untrue. "He'll have bigger fish to fry."

Philip looked at her, frowning. God, he looked so much like his father.

"You really don't like this, do you?" Angelica wavered.

"I really don't." Philip seemed to melt into the sofa, his expression resigned.

"Okay," Angelica grabbed her phone from her back pocket. She waved it in front of Philip's face. "I'll tell Thomas to back off of the campaign. Would you settle for him being John Adams' running mate?"

"You can do that?" Philip looked at her in disbelief. "I mean, he'll just…listen to you?"

"Sure," Angelica scrolled through her phone to get to her text conversation with Thomas. "Why wouldn't he?"

"Are you fucking him?"

"Philip!"

"Dad says that you are."

"Your dad shouldn't be telling you anything like that," Angelica admonished, shaking her head. "Especially because he knows nothing about it. Thomas and I are friends."

"So you can just make your 'friend' not run for president?" Philip prompted with a small smile that looked eerily similar to the look that Alexander used to give Angelica.

"We go back," Angelica rolled her eyes. "Anyway, don't tell the other kids what your dad's been saying, or I'll tell your mom that you and I agreed that you were grounded for a month."

"So I'm not grounded?" Philip's smile widened. God, he really looked so much his father.

"No," Angelica couldn't help but smile as well. "Not yet you aren't. But don't make a habit of going around punching politicians. Eventually one of them will sue."

* * *

"I thank everyone who recommended that I might myself seek candidacy this year; it is flattering to know that my country and peers feel that I am worthy of such recommendations," Thomas read his speech mechanically, not looking at the small cluster of reporters who had gathered for his press conference. He had never been much of a public speaker. "However, I am unable to act on such recommendations, as there is a candidate who I believe in more than myself: Mr. John Adams."

"Thank god," Philip murmured, stuffing his face with the popcorn that Eliza had prepared. He offered Baby a bite without looking, retracting the bowl after five seconds without even asking. He knew she wouldn't eat - the girl only ate when Eliza forced her to. He only offered out of courtesy.

"He wouldn't have been a bad president," Johnny remarked from the armchair beside the couch, looking at Philip patiently. "I still think he's a better candidate than John Adams."

"What do you know about John Adams?" Angelica asked him amusedly.

"I looked up his platforms," Johnny answered uncertainly. He wasn't used to Angelica teasing him the way that she teased Philip. They weren't particularly close; he took after Church too much for them to be very close. "I've never heard of anyone being so conservative about the First Amendment."

"Yeah, well, Jefferson hates my dad," Philip commented, as though that was the only platform worth worrying about.

There were murmurs among the group of reporters onscreen, but no one clapped at Thomas' lofty compliment. Still, sitting in a chair behind Thomas, John Adams beamed.

"I fear that if I were to assume the role of a president - indeed, even if I were to only assume the role of a presidential candidate - I would be doing the American people a disservice. I am currently far too occupied with the upbringing of my daughter," Thomas gestured off-screen to his daughter, Polly, who rolled her eyes and shook her head. It was no secret that she loathed her father. She was roughly Baby's age and was going through her angsty teen years. The angst was extenuated by the fact that she lost her mother when she was young and her father was relatively absentee. "As well as managing the charity that she and I started on behalf of her mother."

"Please," Philip rolled his eyes, popping another piece of popcorn into his mouth. "He only started that charity so he could talk about it in the press."

"He might be a good guy," Johnny disagreed with a shrug. He looked at Angelica in askance. When she didn't contribute anything to the conversation, he continued. "You can't let your dad decide how you look at politics forever."

Those sounded like Church's words.

"Why are you taking his side?" Philip demanded roughly, turning to look at Johnny. He glanced at Angelica narrowly. "Why are both of you so determined to take Jefferson's side? Don't you know what he did?"

"I'm just saying, I don't think that you should -"

Philip stood up and stomped out of the living room. Hearing him climb up the stairs, Eliza popped her head out of the kitchen, where she and Junior were baking cookies for some girl in his second-grade class.

"Philip, where are you going?" She called up the stairs.

"I'm going to Dad's," Philip called from his room. His words were paired with a rustling sound - he was packing a backpack.

"What?" Eliza emerged from the kitchen and placed herself at the bottom of the stairs, her arms folded across her chest. "No, you're not. You're not supposed to go to your father's until next week. You're touring Columbia in two days."

"I'll catch a ride with Philip and Uncle Church," Philip announced, appearing at the top of the stairs with his backpack slung over his shoulder. "You know Pop won't let me miss a college tour. I think he's stricter about it than you."

"You're not going." Eliza's voice wobbled as Philip descended the stairs, placing himself directly in front of her. He towered over her.

"I am," Philip spoke softly, the corner of his mouth curving into a placating smile. "Just for a little while. I'll be back in a few days, Ma. I just miss Pop."

"You'll see him in a week." Eliza reminded him, her voice not carrying much weight.

"I'll call you when I get there, Ma." Philip kissed Eliza's cheek before passing her and approaching the front door.

As he walked out of the front door, Eliza turned to look at the rest of them, her lips pursed.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Betsey," Johnny immediately apologized. "It's my fault. I didn't know that he would get so upset about Mr. Jefferson. Should I go with him? I'll apologize and try to get him to come home, and -"

"No," Angelica shook her head, looking at Johnny sternly. "We don't need another one of you running off to Alex's apartment. Eliza, I'll give him a call."

"Thank you," Despite working with Alexander to reach a custody agreement without the involvement of lawyers, Eliza still did not like speaking to Alexander any more than she had to. Every single time that she saw him, she hurried home to watch his press conference, to remind herself how badly he had hurt her.

Angelica sighed as she exited the room to call Alexander, pretending that she didn't have the same aversion to speaking to him that Eliza did.

"Annie," Alexander answered on the first ring.

Angelica's eyes narrowed. "Don't call me that."

"Angelica," Alexander sighed. He sounded older. "What's going on? Are the kids okay? Is Betsey okay?"

"They're…yeah. Philip and Johnny just had a little argument over Thomas being John Adams' running mate, and now he's headed your way."

"Shit," Alexander breathed. He started rustling around. Angelica heard the distinct sound of bottles clinking together. She decided against asking him what he was doing. "Is he planning to stay here? Isn't his tour of Columbia coming up?"

"He says that he's going to go with Church and Johnny," Angelica lowered her voice, looking around to see if Eliza was listening from the doorway. "But I don't think Eliza likes that. She was really looking forward to taking him; it's the only school he's interested in going to. Give you five guesses as to why."

"He's a good kid," Alexander asserted among the rustling. "He'll love Columbia. I did. What's so wrong with him going with Church and Johnny?"

"Johnny doesn't really want to go to Columbia," Angelica answered as though it were obvious. "Church is trying to push him towards a school that's closer - that, or Yale."

Alexander scoffed. "Yale."

"Anyway," Angelica didn't feel like discussing Johnny's college decisions. "You need to tell him to come back when he gets there."

"What?" Alexander asked incredulously. "It's a thirty-minute train ride to my apartment. It'll be dark by the time he gets here. Wouldn't it be safer for him to stay the night and go home after school?"

"Alexander," Angelica warned him. "I know what you're doing."

"He's my son, Angelica." Alexander didn't back down. "I am entitled to some time with him - especially if he decided to come here all by himself."

"He needs to go to the college tour." Angelica asserted. "Eliza doesn't think that he'll go to any other school if he doesn't get into Columbia."

"He'll get in." Alexander insisted. "I'll take him myself. That's gotta count for something, doesn't it? His alumni father bringing him?"

"His disgraced politician father taking him? I don't know," Angelica bit back.

"Please," Alexander begged. "I'm already missing so much - I only get to see them once a month for a few days. Let me do this with him. I'll take Johnny, too. At least let me ask him."

Angelica looked over at the doorway. She thought of Eliza, who was probably agonizing over whether Philip was going to go to the tour at all. She thought of Philip, who was so goddamn stubborn when it came to his father. She thought of Johnny, who was agonizing over whether he had hurt his best friend's feelings.

"Fine." She agreed at length. "But Eliza reserves the right to go along with you. And if she does, she doesn't have to talk to you. And Church gets to go if he wants to, too. And you can't talk about Thomas Jefferson."

"Is that all, counsel?" Alexander asked sardonically.

"Think about that tone of yours or I'll change my mind," Angelica warned him.

Alexander chuckled. "Goodbye, Annie."

"Don't call me that," She protested, but he had already hung up the phone.

 **Rewind**

Angelica didn't want to tell him - oh god, she didn't want to tell him - but she would be damned if she would get a second abortion without first asking Alexander for his opinion. The first one had been difficult enough - she doubted that their marriage would survive a second.

"Annie," Alexander looked across the dinner table at her inquisitively. "Are you alright? You haven't touched your dinner."

Angelica swallowed hard. She hadn't had much of an appetite since her doctor's appointment. She looked up at Alexander resolutely, determined to tell him.

"Annie," Alexander's eyebrows furrowed. "What's the matter? You're worrying me."

"I, um," Angelica's voice was raspy. She paused to take a gulp of water, thinking through every word that she would have to say to him. She swallowed and looked back up at him. He was still staring at her with concern, oblivious to the truth. "I'm pregnant."

His face lit up. He didn't realize why this wasn't good news yet.

"Annie, that's great!" He allowed himself this moment of joy before allowing realism to crack through. "Are you…I mean, do you want to…you know that I would do anything to help if you…"

Angelica watched him struggle to think of a way to ask her to keep the baby.

"Alex," Angelica shook her head. She didn't want to make any sort of decision before she told him the truth. "There's something that you should know…"

"Wait," Alexander was starting to figure it out. "How far along are you?"

There it was.

"A month," Angelica didn't meet his eyes.

"A month?" It was painful to wait for Alexander to get to the conclusion that Angelica had reached the moment that she heard the timeline. "But that would mean…Angelica."

Angelica looked up at him guiltily. His joyous expression had morphed into a furious one. His face was reddening. His jaw muscles were taut. His eyes were flashing with anger.

"Is it Jefferson's?" His voice was dangerously quiet.

"No," Angelica hoped that he would be less angry by that fact.

"Aaron's?" His anger was flecked with disbelief.

"No," Angelica shook her head, wrinkling her nose in a knee-jerk reaction. "Of course not."

"Then whose?" Alexander's brows furrowed. Disbelief and anger were now swirling around in equal parts. "You can't act so fucking sanctimonious when I can't even guess who the father of this baby might be."

Angelica frowned at him. He was being cruel, but it was deserved.

"Whose is it?" He demanded.

"Church's." She answered meekly. She looked down at her plate, knowing that Alexander's temper was only going to get worse.

"Church?" Alexander echoed. He choked on the word.

Angelica looked up from her plate, her eyes pleading for Alexander to understand. "You had just cheated on me, and…"

"I don't fucking care _why_ you did it," Alexander stood up from his chair. Angelica stood up, too, although she did so much slower than he did. Her eyes warned him against approaching her. He obeyed, gripping the sides of the tables so tight that his knuckles were white. "I care that you chose _him_. Why the fuck did you cheat on me with your _high school boyfriend_? Or should I be angry because he's your fucking _boss_?"

"Not anymore," Angelica protested weakly. "I quit a few weeks ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Alexander's sarcasm was biting. "You're right. That makes you fucking Church much less bad."

"You fucked Maria Reynolds," Angelica reminded him, gaining a bit of confidence. "And you expected me to forgive you for that. What's the difference?"

"The difference is that I wasn't in love with Maria in high school," Alexander snapped as though it were common sense.

Angelica rolled her eyes. "I wasn't in love with Church, either. You know that."

"Then why'd you do it?" Alexander wasn't arguing coherently. That only seemed to make him angrier.

"Because he was _there_!" Angelica had had enough. "Because he was there and you were never there. When you first started working for George, I tried to tell myself that it was because you were just too busy and that you were trying to make a name for yourself. But you found time to be there for Maria. You found time for someone else. You weren't avoiding coming home because you were busy with work - you weren't coming home because you didn't want to. Because I wasn't enough for you."

Alexander looked at Angelica long and hard. Angelica glared back at him resolutely.

Alexander broke the stare down first. He left the dining room without another word. Angelica was left listening to the sound of his heavy footsteps followed by the sound of his office door slamming shut.

Angelica had not been left alone in the house since Alexander's return from New York. He had taken special care to make sure that she was not alone; knowing how much she hated it. Now that she was left alone, the silence was suffocating.

Doing what she did best, Angelica left. She grabbed her car keys and walked out the front door. If Alexander wanted to pout, he would be left to pout in an empty house.

* * *

"Angelica," Thomas was surprised to find her standing on his doorstep. "What are you doing here?"

Angelica blinked back the tears burning her eyes, frowning in an attempt to control her quivering lips. "Alex and I…"

"Come in," Thomas ushered her indoors straight away. "Are you hungry? I just cleaned up after dinner. I didn't have anything too special, but I think that there might be some leftover macaroni and cheese in the fridge if you want."

"No," Angelica shook her head, rubbing her eyes with balled-up fists. "Thank you. I don't…I don't know why I'm here."

"Okay," Thomas wasn't going to press.

"Alex is just such an asshole," Angelica couldn't sit in silence. "He acts like he's the only one in our marriage who's allowed to be imperfect. Like I'm supposed to just sit around and forgive all of his mistakes without making any of my own."

"What did he do?" Thomas asked just a bit too eagerly.

Angelica shook her head, not wanting to tell him. Mostly because she knew that Thomas would be just as upset as Alexander had been. She had no desire to have another argument about something she already regretted.

"Do you think that this is it?" Thomas tried to sound grave, but Angelica saw right through the act. "Do you think that you might not be able to work through this?"

"I don't know," Angelica answered miserably. "It was pretty bad."

"Aw," Thomas put an arm around Angelica, pulling her close to his chest. "Well, maybe it was for the best."

"No," Angelica pushed Thomas away from her.

"Angie, what are you -" He furrowed his eyebrows, looking at her.

Five knocks on the door interrupted Thomas' line of questioning. Alexander's knocks. Angelica was relieved. She didn't want to have another conversation with Thomas about not wanting to move out of her house and move into Monticello. Angelica just couldn't imagine a life with anyone other than Alexander, and Thomas' bid for the Vice Presidency would only further convolute the situation as it were.

The knocks sounded a second time. Thomas looked at Angelica dispassionately before removing his arm from her shoulder and shuffling towards the front door.

"Is she here?" As soon as Thomas cracked open the door, Alexander burst through. He looked around, presumably for Angelica. When he finally saw her sitting on the couch in Thomas' living room, he walked over and sat down right beside her. He ignored Thomas, who was still working on blustering out a response to his presence.

"Alex?" Angelica looked from Alexander to Thomas confusedly.

"Annie, I -" Alexander paused, turning to look at Thomas, who was standing on the threshold of the living room. He was staring at the two of them, watching them like one would watch a TV show. "Could we have a moment?"

"You're in my house." Thomas reminded him sulkily.

"This is my wife," It seemed that Alexander was growing more possessive as time went on. "And this is a conversation about my marriage. I think that merits some privacy."

"Thomas," Angelica interjected, smiling at Thomas in the hopes of placating him. "Please."

"Fine." Thomas huffed, beginning to shuffle in the direction of his study. He glanced at Alexander over his shoulder, his expression pointed. "I'm coming back after ten minutes."

"Don't be an ass-"

"Thank you," Angelica cast Alexander a warning look. She was mildly surprised when he obeyed the look and closed his mouth. As Thomas disappeared from sight, she turned to look at Alexander again. "What are you doing here?"

"Look," Alexander didn't meet her eyes. He looked like he was working for every word that came out of his mouth. "I know that this baby might not be mine, but that doesn't…that doesn't mean that I don't want it."

Angelica looked at Alexander in disbelief. Seeing this, Alexander shrugged and continued.

"I've waited so long, and I just feel like this might be our last chance," He picked at a thread stemming from the hem of his sweater as he spoke. "You know, when you first left, I called all of the doctors in your address book to make sure you hadn't set up an appointment without telling me again."

"Alex," Angelica disapproved.

"I know," Alexander held his hands up in resignation. "I'm not proud of it. I'm usually good at respecting your space and your privacy, but I just…I feel so powerless. I've never wanted something that I couldn't get for myself before. It's completely in your hands and it's driving me crazy."

"You really want this baby?" Angelica asked dubiously.

"I really do." Alexander didn't hesitate.

"Okay," Angelica sighed.

"Okay?" Alexander looked at her with just a hint of excitement; he didn't dare commit to more than that.

"Okay." Angelica agreed, letting out a sigh and smiling.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: To answer the question of a mysterious reviewer - YES. A happy Hamgelica fic is in the works, inspired by my road trip. It will most likely not be so angsty and may be a nice break from all of this drama. In the meantime, enjoy all of this drama!**

Johnny was wolfing down his breakfast as quickly as could be managed without risking choking when the doorbell rang.

"That's Uncle Alex!" Johnny proclaimed gleefully, his mouth full of food. He leapt out of his chair, sending his napkin tumbling down onto the floor.

"Daddy!" Baby and Junior chorused, abandoning their own breakfasts to follow Johnny to the front door.

"Are you sure that you wouldn't rather me go?" Church asked for the umpteenth time, trailing after the miniature stampede that the kids had created. Angelica and Eliza exchanged amused glances before joining everyone in the foyer.

"Yeah, Dad," Johnny replied, shrugging on his coat and grabbing his backpack off of the floor. "I never get to see Uncle Alex. Besides, I know that we're not really looking at Columbia for me, but this is where Philip wants to go to school. It'll be cool to see the dorms he's living in and stuff."

"Don't rule it out just because your father thinks you could do better," Angelica ordered Johnny with a small smile, opening the front door. "He skipped college altogether - Columbia is better than nothing."

"I think it's a little better than that," Alexander commanded Angelica's attention with that playful voice of his. She turned to look at him with reluctance - she hadn't seen him since Christmas, when she'd gone with Eliza to drop the kids off for the day. She made it a point not to see him. This was why.

After everything he'd done to her - to both her and Eliza - he still looked like her Alexander; the constantly amused, fiercely intelligent, infuriatingly handsome boy that she'd met in high school. The guy she'd still loved in college. The man she had risked her marriage for.

"Hi, Alexander." Church greeted him with his usual stiffness.

"Hey, Church." Alexander smiled cheerfully, pretending that this exchange wasn't awkward for anyone. He looked to Eliza - always Eliza - his expression softening. "Hey, Betsey."

Eliza nodded, swallowing hard instead of saying anything.

"Last chance to ask your cool mom to tag along with you," Angelica tried to lighten the mood.

She grinned at Johnny, who looked as though he was actually considering the offer. He rarely turned down an opportunity to spend time with Angelica. He was a good kid.

Philip shook his head and punched Johnny's shoulder, dissuading him from accepting Angelica's offer. "Come on, man. We see your mom every day."

"Lucky boys." Alexander tried to joke, smiling at Angelica hopefully.

Angelica cracked an indulgent smile before looking at Johnny.

"You can come if you want," Johnny told her, glancing at Philip anxiously. "I mean, we wouldn't mind. It's just that…I mean, I don't see Uncle Alex all that much, and…"

"You can just say it - I'm the cool uncle." Alexander teased Johnny, ruffling his hair.

"It's hard not to be," Angelica snarked, folding her arms across her chest. "You're competing with my brother - who seems to have fallen off of the face of the Earth since the wedding."

"I'll take whatever wins I can get," Alexander was unbothered by this playful banter. In fact, he seemed encouraged by it. "You ready to go, guys?"

"Make sure he eats dinner," Eliza finally spoke up, looking at Philip and very obviously not looking at Alexander. "He always forgets to eat dinner."

He was just like Alexander in that way.

"I will," Alexander promised.

"And don't let him watch that awful TV show that he likes," Eliza shook her head, her eyes flickering down to the ground. "At least not until he finishes all of his homework."

"I'm good with no TV," Alexander agreed. "I never watch it, anyway. Might do him some good to read a book instead."

"I don't have a book to read, Pop."

"We'll stop at a bookstore on the way."

"And have him back in time to study for his physics exam." Eliza didn't seem to want to let Philip go.

"Sure." Alexander seemed ready to agree to sell his soul if it meant getting to spend the weekend with his son.

"What's your favorite color?" Junior interrupted the proceedings. Every time he saw Alexander, he had a question prepared for him. As he had not grown up with Alexander around, he regarded him as a distant relative whom he did not know very well. But kids at school were always exchanging questions about their fathers and Junior never had enough information to participate.

Recognizing that this was another one of Junior's introductory question, Alexander's expression saddened just a bit. He knelt down to Junior's height.

"My favorite color is green," He answered softly, taking one of Junior's hands in his and examining it. He looked up again, forcing himself to smile. "What's yours?"

"It's green, too!" Junior seemed delighted by this consequence.

Everyone else was pretending that it wasn't terribly tragic that Alexander did not know his own son's favorite color.

"Is that right?" Alexander smiled at Junior fondly. "Did you know that your room was green when you were just a baby? Your mom made me paint it a more neutral color because she thought the green color was keeping you up at night."

"Huh?" Junior looked at Eliza. Eliza just smiled at him.

"You've gotten so big, kiddo." Alexander didn't worry about whether or not Junior understood his story. At some level, everyone accepted that this conversation was mostly for Alexander's benefit. "When did you get this tall? Soon you're going to be like your brother - taller than both of your parents."

"I want to be even taller than Philip," Junior grinned at Philip.

"Pop, we should go," Philip looked at Eliza uncertainly. It was plain to see that seeing Alexander was still hard for her. "We've got a long drive to go, and traffic is only going to get worse."

"I'll call you when we get there," Johnny added, nodding to Church reassuringly.

"You better," Church smiled slightly. "I'll be sending you pictures of Yale every hour on the hour."

"Stop," Angelica nudged Church with her elbow before moving forward to hug Johnny. She couldn't remember the last time that she had hugged him. "Don't be afraid to love Columbia, okay? And please behave for your Uncle Alex; make sure that Uncle Alex and Philip behave, too."

"Okay, Mom." Johnny smiled.

"Alright, gentlemen," Alexander said loftily, gesturing towards his oversized SUV. Angelica could see that the trunk was already packed with his bags. "Off to Columbia we go!"

 **Rewind**

Angelica was six months pregnant when Alexander brought her to a party at Mount Vernon. Both George and Martha had been over the moon when they heard about the pregnancy; they didn't know that the baby was Church's. Angelica and Alexander had agreed to keep that detail under wraps. As they saw it, it wasn't anyone's business.

Alexander was telling Martha about the wallpaper book he'd been flipping through - he had placed himself in charge of designing the baby's nursery - when John Church was led into the room by one of the caterers that George had hired. Angelica noticed first. Her face reddened and she jumped into the conversation with unusual interest. It was to no avail. She felt Alexander's hand on her back tighten just seconds later. He'd seen Church, too.

"Oh, there's John." Martha noticed Church's presence, too, but didn't know that she shouldn't be excited about it. "John, over here!" She turned to smile at Angelica conspiratorially. "You must miss him terribly. It seemed like you two were so close when you worked for him."

If Alexander clenched his jaw any more, he would need to see a dentist the next day.

"Martha, hi," Church walked over with an awkward smile. He looked at Angelica and Alexander uncomfortably. When his eyes fell on Angelica's baby bump, they widened. "Oh, uh, Angelica…"

"Hi, Church." Angelica's voice was soft, pleading. She didn't want him to ask questions. She wanted him to have the decency to pretend that he didn't know what was going on.

"Hi," Church obliged. "You look beautiful."

Alexander watched with clenched fist and a tight jaw as Church kissed Angelica's cheek and congratulated her on her pregnancy.

"Excuse me," Eliza blessedly broke up the interaction. She'd come to Mount Vernon from Delaware to attend George's party. Angelica was glad for her presence. She wasn't sure how she would make it through the party without her. "Do you mind if I steal Angelica away from you all for a little bit? I'm online shopping for baby clothes and want to get some input before I go overboard."

"You've already gone overboard, I'm sure." Angelica teased, gently pulling at a ringlet that had fallen out of Eliza's ponytail. She glanced back at Alexander with an apologetic smile. "Excuse me."

Alexander nodded before turning back to Martha and Church. Angelica sucked in a relieved breath as she followed Eliza into the abandoned card room.

"Why did Alexander look so angry with John?" Eliza asked quietly, leading Angelica over to one of the uncomfortable couches that Martha had purchased from some Italian importer. "I thought that you left your job on good terms?"

"Um," Angelica looked around the room to make sure that it was really empty. "Things with Church and I got…complicated."

"Angelica," Eliza was savvy enough to know what that meant. "You didn't."

"I did," Angelica grimaced.

"And Alexander knows?" Eliza leaned forward, her voice barely rising above a whisper.

Angelica nodded, swallowing hard. "I had to tell him because…well, the baby isn't exactly Alex's."

Eliza's eyes widened. "It's Church's?"

"He doesn't know," Angelica said, as though that justified it. "And it was only one time. Neither of us really meant for it to happen, we just…things got a little bit out of hand. But Alex and I are fine. We talked through it, and it's going to be okay. We just -"

Both Angelica and Eliza jumped at the sound of a chair scraping against the hardwood floor. They whipped around and saw Aaron Burr standing in the doorway, leaning against the back of one of the chairs by the card table.

Angelica froze. She hadn't spoken to Aaron very much since leaving Church's business. She didn't know if he was still loyal to her and Alexander, especially now that Thomas was on the political rise. If he leaked this story, he would gain political capital, but Alexander's career would be over.

"Aaron," She didn't quite know what to say to him.

"Angelica," Aaron's expression didn't betray his intentions. "I didn't mean to interrupt. Excuse me."

He turned and disappeared before either Angelica or Eliza could say another word. Angelica turned to look at Eliza in horror. Eliza looked back at Angelica sympathetically.

"I need to talk to Alex," Angelica decided, jumping up from the couch and hurrying out of the card room. Eliza would find someone else to talk to at a party. This was a far more pressing issue.

"There you are," Alexander grinned when Angelica rejoined him in the ballroom. He placed a hand on the small of her back, as though he had the compulsive need to touch her whenever she was near. "I was starting to think that Eliza had taken you all for herself."

"Yeah," Angelica smiled weakly, aware that people surrounding them were watching her closely. "Could I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure," Alexander didn't sense that anything was wrong. He allowed Angelica to grab his hand and lead him outside of the house and towards the Potomac down the hill from the mansion.

"I told Eliza about the baby," Angelica explained as they began to walk down the dirt path towards the woods. "And, you know, about Church."

Alexander's jaw tightened. "Why?"

"She's my sister," Angelica replied firmly. "I tell her everything."

Alexander nodded, keeping his eyes fixed ahead of them. "Is that all?"

"No," Angelica looked around at the shadowy figure that the trees created. "When I finished telling her, I noticed that Aaron was in the room."

"Burr?" Alexander stopped dead in his tracks. "Burr was there? How much of it did he hear?"

"I don't know," Angelica answered helplessly. "I didn't see him when we started talking, but I was so absorbed in talking to her that I -"

"Angelica, he could _ruin_ me with that story," Alexander's voice caused a swarm of bats to fly off in the other direction. "My position is already on shaky ground - Jefferson mentions firing me to Adams at least once a day. If this gets out, my career will be over. Adams will fire me and I'll be a political pariah."

"I'll take care of it." Angelica conveyed more confidence than she really felt. "I'll meet with him tomorrow and make sure that it doesn't get out."

Alexander nodded, his jaw still tense. "Good. You think he'll listen to you?"

"We never heard from James Reynolds again, did we?" Angelica reminded him, tightening her grip on Alexander's hand. "It's under control."

Alexander nodded, not looking at her.

* * *

"This is a nice surprise," Aaron looked Angelica over as she sat on the couch across from the one he was sitting on, a small smile playing on his lips. Angelica couldn't read the intent behind his eyes. "It's been a while since we've spoken last."

"Cut the shit, Aaron, you know why I'm here." Angelica didn't want to get drawn into whatever game it was that Aaron was playing.

Aaron raised an eyebrow, his mouth curving into a smirk. "Tsk, tsk. I thought that you knew how to play this game. You're supposed to make small talk with me first. You could ask me about my love life, make a few shaded remarks…"

"Are you going to leak the story or not?" Angelica wasn't listening to Aaron.

Aaron cocked his head to the side. "Do you want me to?"

"Of course I don't."

"What are you prepared to do to stop me?" Aaron inquired, his voice soft and deadly.

Angelica glowered at him. "What do you want?"

"I don't know," Aaron admitted, shrugging. "I'd like to see what I can get from you before settling on anything in particular."

"What if I threatened to ruin your career first?" It was a hollow threat. She had tried hard, but couldn't find a single piece of dirt on Aaron. He was always careful to remove his fingerprints from any unpopular or failing political operations. "No one wants to listen to a disgraced politician. They're so desperate - they'd say anything to claw their way back to the top."

"How are you going to ruin me?" Aaron asked calmly. He knew that Angelica was lying.

Angelica's face reddened. "I know people."

"Okay," Aaron used a tone that most people used with children when they got themselves into a bind. "Angelica, you know that I like you and Alexander. That said, I'm in a tough spot here. John fired me when he found out I was sleeping with his wife - understandable, but still a massive inconvenience - and Theodosia died before she could connect me with any of her contacts."

"Church's wife is dead?" Angelica hadn't heard this.

Aaron's eyes narrowed. He snapped his fingers, redirecting Angelica's attention. She did not like that shit at all. "If I'm going to sit on a story like this - something that could help my career colassally - I'm going to need to get something of value out of it. It's nothing personal, just business."

Angelica wracked her mind for something - anything - that she could offer Aaron. Alexander didn't have the political pull to offer him a position in the Adams administration. As it was, he was calling in all of his favors to make sure he kept his own job during the Adams administration. Almost all of Angelica's contacts were being ushered into irrelevancy with George's departure from the White House as well.

The best thing that either of them could offer Aaron career-wise was advice and possibly a position on a county council campaign.

Angelica's heart was hammering in her chest. She had to think of something, or Alexander would be ruined. His entire career would be over, just like that. Everything that they had worked for, suffered for, fought for…gone.

"Ow," Angelica cringed as she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. Most likely a consequence of the sandwich she'd had on the car ride over to Aaron's house.

"I think that we're done here." Aaron was looking at Angelica piteously, like she had already lost this game of cat and mouse. "I'll do my best to help you when my own position is more secure, but in the meantime…"

Angelica stood up to argue with him but buckled back into her seat as her stomach pain surged forth again. This time, it hurt. Really, really hurt.

"Oh, my god," She groaned, hunching over in her chair.

"What is this?" Aaron asked dispassionately. "Are you really using the pregnancy card to get you out of trouble? Angelica, that won't -"

He trailed off, his voice lilting with sudden panic. Angelica looked up at him desperately, searching his face for the cause of the shift in tone. He was looking down at her lap, at her chair. She followed his eyes and immediately saw the source of his reaction. Blood was soaking through her brand new dress onto Aaron's chair.

"Hospital," Aaron was speaking without direction. "We need to go to the hospital. Should I drive you, or um…"

"Call 911!" Angelica demanded, looking up at him like he was stupid. "Hurry up!"

This couldn't be happening. This could not be happening. Angelica actually wanted this baby. She and Alexander had already decorated the nursery, picked out a few possible names, bought an entire wardrobe of baby clothes, planned out their newborn photoshoot…she could not lose this one, too. It would be the end of her marriage. The end of her.

"Hello, 911?" Aaron's voice seemed distant; like he was standing in another room altogether. Angelica's vision was growing fuzzy. "Yeah, could you please send an ambulance to 1507 West Oliver? Yeah, uh, my friend is pregnant and I think that she might -"

* * *

Angelica stared at the wall, not seeing anything in particular. She could only hear the faint buzzing of the hospital's cheap light bulbs. They burned her when she looked directly at them.

The baby was gone.

The nurse's all wore stainless scrubs and sympathetic smiles. They had called her 'mom' when she had entered the hospital, but now they just called her Mrs. Hamilton. Angelica wished they would still call her 'mom'.

There were IVs in her arm. Angelica didn't know why they had put them there. She hadn't asked. She had allowed them to poke and prod her like she was nothing more than cattle. She didn't see the point in asking questions.

Alexander burst through the door, his face flushed and his eyes red. There was gum on his shoes. Alexander never had gum on his shoes. He must have run through the city, desperate to make it to the hospital in time. Like he was missing some cherished event; a birthday party.

A baby girl with eyes just like her mother's.

"Annie," He said, his voice cracking on the last syllable. How strange it was, that Alexander was always the first to say something in these situations. It was never the right thing. It was just something he sent knocking around the universe, crashing through the walls built against him.

"Don't yell at me," Angelica said. She was surprised by how flat her own voice sounded. How even. She no longer sounded like the living, breathing person who had screamed and cried into Aaron Burr's chest half an hour ago. How full of life that abstract version of herself seemed. Red cheeks, crystal tears, and dark hair. Now she was just gray. "It wasn't my fault."

Alexander crossed the room, towards her. Angelica was too tired to brace herself. She watched blankly as he climbed onto the physician room bench. He pulled her closer to him. She fell into him like a rag doll. Angelica only reacquainted herself with reality when she felt Alexander's tears dampen her hair.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Thank you all for your kind reviews - they mean the world to me! I find myself a little bit sad that we only have 7 chapters left, but on the day that the last chapter is posted, I'll post the first chapter of my new Hamgelica fic - a roadtripping one. I hope that some of you may enjoy that as well. Regardless, please enjoy this latest chapter!**

"Where's Philip? He didn't come home from school with you?" Eliza asked Baby as she set the table for dinner at 4:45 on the dot, as was her nightly ritual.

"He's at Dad's." Baby answered, not looking up from her homework.

"Was Johnny with him?" Church asked with a sigh.

Upon their return from Columbia, both Philip and Johnny began to spend all of their free time with Alexander. Eliza didn't mind Philip spending so much time with Alexander - he was the boy's father, after all. Besides, his grades had gone up since his visit to Columbia. Alexander was helping him with his homework, and was encouraging him to work harder to get into a good school.

The fact that Johnny was spending time at Alexander's place, on the other hand, bothered Church terribly. Angelica tried not to let it bother her the way that it bothered him; Alexander was smart, he was a great parent, and he taught Johnny things about the world that neither she nor Church had thought to teach him. Church didn't see it that way. He called Alexander a bad influence.

"Uh-huh," Baby was annoyed that everyone was interrupting her homework to ask questions about the boys. "They said that they were just going to eat dinner over there."

"Son of a…" Church mumbled, fumbling for his phone. "He's supposed to ask me before he decides to stay there for dinner. That kid is so grounded."

"Church." Angelica protested, shaking his head. "He's just a kid who wants to spend time with his uncle. There's nothing wrong with that. It's better than him spending his night on a street corner."

"I'm not so sure that that's true," Church remarked, leaving the kitchen with his phone pressed to his ear.

Angelica frowned, following him out onto the patio.

"Johnny," When Johnny answered his phone, Church didn't bother with niceties. "You know that you're supposed to ask me before you invite yourself over to Uncle Alex's for dinner. You need to get your ass on the next train home and hope that some of the food that Aunt Eliza has been slaving over is still left by the time that you get home."

"Give me that," Angelica snatched the phone from Church before he could move away from her reach. "Johnny, honey? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Mom. I'm sorry, I thought that I had asked Dad about going to Uncle Alex's last night. I must have forgotten. I'm really sorry. I'm going home right now, I swear." Johnny replied hastily.

"Don't worry about it," Angelica looked at Church with narrowed eyes. "If Uncle Alex doesn't mind you staying for dinner, neither do we."

"Really?" Johnny didn't sound convinced. "Dad doesn't mind?"

"He'll get over it." Angelica ignored Church's outraged gestures. "Enjoy yourself, okay?"

"Thanks, Mom."

Angelica handed the phone back to Church, staring at him resolutely.

"You shouldn't have done that," Church stated, replacing the phone in his back pocket. "You undermined my authority."

"He is a great kid - he gets good grades, he's always home by curfew, and he never gets in trouble," Angelica folded her arms across her chest. "Yet you insist on micromanaging every single thing that he does! What does it matter if he wants to have dinner with his uncle every once in a while?"

"That man is a bad influence," Church growled. "You see what he's done to his own kids - who knows if Philip will go to college or prison! Baby doesn't know how to speak to anyone like a normal person - do you remember the last time she brought home a friend? Or even mentioned having a friend?"

"You're being unfair," Angelica argued. "Philip is doing better, and Baby is just…Baby. So what if she doesn't like the same kind of social life that you and I do? I don't see how that's Alex's fault. If anything, that's the exact opposite of Alex."

"He doesn't know how to function like a normal person - that's the whole point. He's already messed up his kids. I won't allow him to mess up ours, too." Church said it with an air of finality, like this was his decision to make.

The screen door slid open behind them. Eliza appeared, looking between them uncomfortably. "Dinner is ready."

"We're not hungry," Church didn't look away from Angelica.

"Apparently we're waiting for Johnny." Angelica retorted evenly.

"Oh, okay. Do you want me to set aside a plate for you two, or…?" Eliza was obviously very uncomfortable, realizing now that she was interrupting an argument.

"That's okay," Angelica didn't dare allow her expression to soften, for fear that Church would use it to get the upper hand. "Thanks, Eliza."

"Okay…" Eliza slid the door shut again.

"And that's why I don't want to fucking live here anymore," Church hissed, gesturing to the door. "It's been three years since Alexander left here. Does Eliza really still need our help?"

"I thought that you said that it was good for Johnny here," Angelica used her usual argument for this topic. "You didn't want to move out when I was called to England."

"That was before Philip turned into fucking _Rambo_." Church used his usual argument. "I feel bad for the kid, but that doesn't mean I ought to subject Johnny to him. Why can't we just go home, Angelica? Do you remember home? Where it's just the three of us? Where we don't have to have dinner at early bird hours, or worry about interrupting one of the kids' schedules if we decide to go out for once in our lives?"

"She needs me," Angelica argued defensively.

"Does she?" Church demanded, glancing at the porch door. "Because you know what I think, Angelica?"

"No, what do you think, Church?"

"I think that you need her way more than she needs you," His tone had cooled. Angelica didn't like it. "I think that you're so fucking miserable about Alexander's affair and that he didn't choose you for it, that now you wallow in everything even vaguely related to him in the hopes that maybe, someday, he will choose you."

"What?" Angelica visibly recoiled.

"I'm not stupid, Angelica. I know that you're in love with him." Church said, shaking his head. "You've never really made much of a secret of it. I just thought that after high school, once we were in a different country than him, things would change. And they did, for a little while. But then you came right back here and got yourself in the same mess that you made for yourself in high school. And then you got pregnant and I thought that motherhood would surely make you realize what was important. But you didn't. You _never_ did. You _still_ don't. Do you think that Johnny doesn't notice that you only ever speak to him when it involves Alexander? Do you think that it escapes him that you're much closer with Philip than you are with him? You know all of Philip's teachers by their first name - do you know even one of Johnny's?"

"You're not being fair," Angelica protested. "Eliza needs help with Philip. Johnny's doing fine on his own."

"Yeah, because he _has_ to be," Church threw up his hands in exasperation. "Because you've taught him that the Hamilton kids always come first. And why is that, Angelica? Is it because they look just like Alexander? Is there some part of you that pretends they're yours when you're parenting them instead of your own son?"

"How dare you," Angelica took a step forward. She was gratified when Church took an uncertain step backward. "Do you want me to admit that I loved Alex more than I ever loved you? Fine, I admit it. And what a fine example you're making of the man I missed out on. But don't you ever, _ever_ accuse me of not caring about Johnny. I love that boy."

"You're almost convincing when you're angry," Church snarked, looking Angelica over disdainfully.

"You're a fucking asshole." Angelica ignored the tears that had been welling up in her eyes.

"Yeah, well, it's about time that I was the asshole in this relationship," Church remarked, fishing his cell phone out of his back pocket again. "I'm tired of always being the…oh, _shit_."

He looked down at his cell phone, horrified.

"What?" Angelica walked over to Church to see what was wrong. "Is Johnny okay? Did something happen?"

"I…" Church held his cell phone up to his ear. "Johnny?"

"What are you doing?" Angelica demanded, her stomach dropping to her feet. "He's not on the phone, is he? You hung up with him, didn't you?"

"Shit." Church hit the 'end call' button - although, at this point, there was really no point in bothering - and shoved his cell phone back into his pocket roughly. "I don't know how much of that he actually listened to."

"I can't believe you," Angelica snapped, approaching the door. Church followed her into the house and towards the front door.

"Angelica, is everything okay?" Eliza called from the dining room, perplexed. "We're still having dinner."

"Yeah, I'm just going out for a little while," Angelica called back, shrugging on her coat and glowering at Church. Church grabbed his own coat, also glowering. "My phone is on if you need me."

"Where are we going?" Church hissed, following Angelica out of the front door.

"I don't know where _you're_ going, but _I'm_ going to find my son and explain to him that his father is an asshole who goes around accusing people of -"

"Hey, you admitted it," Church reminded Angelica coldly. "I hope he heard that part, too."

"You would rather be right than spare your son that piece of emotional baggage?" Angelica inquired, her tone conveying what a terrible father she thought that he was. "Wow. Okay, Church. That's nice; really nice."

She approached her car, unlocking only the driver's side door so that Church couldn't join her if he wanted to. Blessedly, it didn't seem that he did want to. He rolled his eyes at her and approached his own car.

"Call me if you find him," He instructed.

"Mhm." Angelica murmured because mad as she was at him, she hoped that he would do the same.

Without another word, Church climbed into his car and drove off. Angelica, meanwhile, stayed put. In Church's absence, she was free to let the tears that she'd been struggling with flow from her eyes with reckless abandon.

She was just reaching for her gear shift when she noticed her phone ringing in the cup holder. Alexander's contact picture was visible.

Angelica didn't think twice before answering the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Annie," Alexander sounded as though he knew something was wrong. Angelica was surprised by this. Surely he didn't know everything all the time. "What the hell is going on?"

"What do you mean?" Angelica wasn't good at pretending. The tears stuck in her throat ruined her attempt.

"Angelica." Alexander's tone darkened with concern. "What's happening? Are you okay? Why the fuck did Johnny leave my apartment only to show up ten minutes later and demand to fight me? Is he okay? He ran off before I could get him talking. Philip's out looking for him right now."

"Oh my god," Angelica rested her head on the steering wheel.

"Do you want me to come over?" Alexander persisted, his tone gentling somewhat.

"No," Angelica replied firmly. It wasn't as though Angelica could just invite Alexander over to Eliza's house.

Alexander sighed, realizing this as well. "Do you want to come over here?"

"No."

"Do you need to come over here?"

Angelica hesitated. "Yes."

"Do you want me to come get you?" Alexander was so good at dealing with situations like these. "The boys are out…indefinitely, as far as I can tell. I can text Philip and tell him to go home for the night when he finds Johnny."

"Okay." Angelica might have argued, but with the way that her eyes kept welling up with tears, it wasn't the worst idea to let Alexander drive her.

"Okay," Angelica could practically see the comforting smile on Alexander's face. "I'll be there in a minute."

* * *

"I hate him," Angelica found herself in Alexander's cramped apartment kitchen, crying at the dingy dinner table. "I think I've always hated him. I don't know why I married him - he was just there and he asked. And now Johnny hates me because he heard Church and I arguing about our dead-end marriage and Church just had to bring you up -"

"Which is why Johnny tried to fight me," Alexander acknowledged, looking down at the mug of coffee in his hands thoughtfully.

"It's all your fault," Angelica reminded Alexander for the umpteenth time in the hour that she'd been over at his apartment. It was the first time that she had been to his apartment. It was unremarkable - the furniture was barebones and it obviously hadn't been cleaned in ages. "If you hadn't had that fucking affair…"

"I know," Alexander sighed, hanging his head.

There was a knock on the door, interrupting Angelica's next hysterical rant. Alexander frowned as he got to his feet, regarding Angelica with an apologetic expression.

"That might be Johnny." He told her.

"He shouldn't see me here," Angelica rose from her seat, looking around for a place that she could hide. There was nowhere. Alexander really did live in a lousy apartment.

Alexander pulled open the door. He took a step back in surprise. "Church. Hey."

"Guess I shouldn't be surprised that you're here," Church walked into the apartment without being invited in. He looked at Angelica dispassionately before turning to look at Alexander. "You just can't stay away, can you?"

"Can I get you a cup of coffee?" Alexander was trying to be civil.

"No," Church walked into the kitchen and sat at the kitchen table. With reluctance, Angelica and Alexander returned to their own seats. Church looked at them both scornfully. He was such an asshole. "Don't let me interrupt you. Please, continue."

"We were just talking about Philip." While Angelica was happy to glower at Church in utter contempt, Alexander was obviously still trying to be civil. How very un-Alexander. "Annie…I mean, Angelica and I aren't…that is, I heard about your argument. Look, Church, you really don't need to…I am still very much in love with my wife."

Church snorted.

"I think that I'm going to go," Between Alexander bringing up Eliza and Church being such a flaming asshole, Angelica was starting to feel suffocated. "I think it's obvious that Johnny's not going to come back here anytime soon."

"I'm coming with you," Church said with no real authority.

"No, you're not." Angelica threw on her coat and walked towards the door without waiting for him. "You can go fuck yourself."

She threw the door open and slammed it behind her. There was an odd sort of relief in closing the door on both of men who had been making her life so much harder than it needed to be since high school.

She smiled to herself as she walked down the stairs and into the parking lot of the apartment building. Just as she was realizing that Alexander had driven her there, she heard a cough that she would recognize anywhere. She'd heard nothing but that cough the week that Johnny had the flu.

"Johnny?" She craned her head to get a better look at the hooded figure in the parking lot that had to be her son. It looked like he was smoking.

"Mom?" Johnny sounded small.

"What are you doing?" She crossed the parking lot to him. She plucked the cigarette out from between his fingers and held it at eye level. "Since when do you smoke?"

"I don't. I stole them from Uncle Alex." Johnny admitted guiltily. He then looked up at Angelica, risking defiance. "Do you really love him?"

Angelica flicked the cigarette onto the ground, stomping it out with her over-priced shoe. "I did. Once. In high school. Your Uncle Alex and I…we were different then. We were kids. But he loves your Aunt Eliza very much."

"Do you love Dad?"

"I do, in a way."

"In a way?" Johnny challenged, quirking an eyebrow.

Angelica smiled piteously. "Adult relationships are hard. You'll find that out soon enough."

Johnny looked down at the cigarette, still smoldering on the pavement. "Do you love me?"

Angelica exhaled raggedly. She wished that Johnny didn't have to ask such a question.

"Of course I love you, honey. Oh, my god do I love you." Angelica assured him, placing a hand on either side of his shoulder and looking into his eyes. "You can never doubt that I love you, do you hear me? You are the only man in this world I have ever loved this way."

Johnny nodded, still looking at the ground.

Angelica had no idea what he was thinking, she realized with some degree of horror. This was her seventeen-year-old son and she could not even venture a guess as to what might be on his mind. She didn't know him nearly well enough to know something like that.

"Hey," She said, very much without thinking. "What do you say, you and I don't go home tonight?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"I mean, let's go stay at a hotel near the city. Away from all of this awful drama. If you want, I'll write you a sick note from school tomorrow. We can go see that museum exhibit you've been wanting to see."

"Mom, that exhibit's been gone for five years."

Angelica frowned. "Well, okay. Is there anything else that you want to see?"

"You're serious?" Johnny asked suspiciously.

"I'm serious," Angelica vowed.

"Well," Johnny considered. "There's this really cool historic mansion in Virginia that I've heard a lot about at one of your work parties. Uh, Mr. Jefferson was talking about it. I've been wanting to go, but Philip doesn't really like that stuff, and you and Dad are so busy…"

"We'll go tomorrow."

"Really?" Angelica had never seen Johnny's face light up this way before.

"Really. Right after my broadcast, we'll go right to Virginia." Angelica assured him. "And tonight, we'll stay at the nicest hotel in D.C. Unless you want to go back to the house, of course."

"No," Johnny ventured a small smile, glancing back at the apartment building. "Dad's kind of…"

"An asshole?"

"Yeah."

Angelica followed Johnny's gaze to the apartment building, a wry smile spreading across his face. "Do you still have that spare set of keys to his car?"

"Yeah, why?"

"What do you say we let Uncle Alex drive Dad home tonight?"

"What?" Johnny grinned in disbelief. The poor kid had never done anything to defy his parents before. Angelica could hardly believe that her son hadn't done anything like stealing a parent's car before.

"Come on," Angelica grabbed the keys from Johnny with a devious smile. "If we wait around much longer, he'll catch us."

Johnny threw one last look over his shoulder before following Angelica to the car.

* * *

"Dad's going to be pissed off if I miss school tomorrow," Johnny remarked as he dug at a jar of peanut butter with a spoon. It was all he'd wanted for dinner that night. Angelica was content; she got herself a jar of peanut butter for her dinner as well. "I have a physics test that he's been making me study for."

"So let him get pissed off," Angelica shrugged. "I'll handle it. How is school going, anyway?"

"Good. I, uh, I don't know if I'm going to be able to make straight A's this semester with the way my English class is going, but I'm trying to make up for it with my Statistics class -"

"I don't mean _school_ school," Angelica shook her head, dropping her spoon into the jar of peanut butter to better focus on Johnny. "I mean, the fun part of school. How are your friends? Who are you dating? Are you going on any kind of senior trip?"

"Oh, I…uh…" Johnny's ears reddened as he grew more interested in his peanut butter. "I don't know. Phil's the popular one."

Angelica rolled her eyes. She knew that Philip was popular - Eliza was always having to ask him how many friends he was going to have over for dinner. She could not fathom, however, that Johnny did not match him in popularity. Surely her son was the toast of every household in D.C.

"What about you, Johnny?" She persisted. "How about dating? All high schoolers are into dating. Anyone interesting?"

"Oh, no, not really." Johnny blushed when he lied.

"Come on," Angelica grinned. "You can lie to your dad, but you can't lie to me."

"Did you date Uncle Alex in high school?" Johnny turned the tables on Angelica with a slight smirk.

"No," Angelica pointed her peanut butter-coated spoon at Johnny. "You're deflecting."

"If you tell me about what it was like for you in high school, I'll tell you about what it's like for me," Johnny promised. "Not that there's much to tell."

Angelica's eyes narrowed.

"Please?" Johnny raised his eyebrows as he took a bite of peanut butter. "I never get to hear stories about you. Dad just tells me that your grades were good."

"Fine," Angelica felt bad denying her own son information that she so freely gave others. "If you must know, I did not date your Uncle Alex in high school. We only kissed once, and after the disaster that was our senior trip to Philadelphia, I let your Aunt Eliza have him."

"Wait, Aunt Eliza got Uncle Alex on rebound?" Johnny looked incredulous.

"He liked her, too." Angelica hastened to say. "You know your Uncle Alex. He likes everyone."

"When did you start dating Dad?" Johnny was obviously enjoying himself.

Angelica cringed with a sheepish smile. "Before I met your Uncle Alex."

"Mom!"

"I was seventeen," Angelica couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous she was, justifying her actions to her own seventeen-year-old son. "I could get away with it, then."

"But not now?" Johnny's smile faltered. "I've, uh, read things. On the internet. About you and Mr. Jefferson."

"You shouldn't believe everything you read."

"But is it true?"

Angelica didn't know how to answer this particular question. She wanted to be honest with her son, but to admit that she was cheating on his father with a widower who was his uncle's political opponent…it was a bit much.

"No," Angelica ran her hand through her hair. "He was like your Uncle Alex - a high school could've-been. Now we're just friends. Now, enough asking me about my ancient love-life. Let's hear more about yours. Anyone interesting at that school of yours?"

"Well…" Johnny trailed off, blushing.

"Go on," Angelica sat up a little straighter.

"There's this girl, Theodosia Burr," He wouldn't look at Angelica, but he was smiling as he spoke.

"Aaron Burr's daughter?" Angelica couldn't hide her surprise.

"Mom," Johnny shook his head disapprovingly, but he was still smiling.

Angelica laughed, shaking her head.

* * *

"So, have you asked her out?" Angelica asked as she and Johnny toured the historic mansion the next day.

"What?" Johnny asked distractedly, not looking away from a bust of someone who had died two hundred years ago. He was so enraptured by everything old.

"Aaron Burr's daughter - have you asked her out yet?" Angelica prompted. Talking about her son's love life was much more interesting than the surrounding environment. "Or at least gone out with her?"

"No…" Johnny frowned, still not looking at Angelica. "She likes Philip, like the rest of the girls."

"Does Philip like her?"

"I don't think so," Johnny mumbled, glaring at the bust intently. "I think he likes all the girls the same. Or, anyone that pays him attention, really."

Angelica quirked a small smile. "Like his father."

"I guess."

"So, just show her why she should choose you over Philip," Angelica suggested. "Knowing Phil, I don't think he'll mind losing the interest of one girl. If you pay attention to her, maybe take her out once or twice, I'm sure she'll see that you're better than he is, anyway."

Johnny shook his head dismally. "I wouldn't even know what to say to her."

"I think that between the two of us, we can think of something."

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Consider it my revenge for all of your nosy questions last night."

"Ugh."

 **Rewind**

Alexander threw himself into his work to try and take his mind off of Angelica's miscarriage, but he was sure to do so within the confines of their home. He emerged from his office at 9am, 3pm, and 8pm like clockwork, cooking food that Angelica didn't have the appetite to stomach.

Angelica tried to work, too. She communicated with the campaign team for the county council election. No one pressed her to come back to the office - at this point, the election was a shoe-in. The only opponent was hugely unpopular and could only win if 65% of voters didn't go out on election day.

Alexander's political position was a bit more precarious. Thomas continued to speak ill of him in press conferences and in private. Alexander received a constant stream of texts from friends working on the Adams campaign, all telling him that Adams was strongly considering throwing him out as the Secretary of the Treasury.

Come election day, Alexander and Angelica watched the news with baited breath. Election numbers rolled in slowly, with a lot of conversation in between. Angelica napped in between the results, resting her head on Alexander's shoulder. Alexander didn't sleep. He was alert and tense through the night.

The county council election results came first. Angelica's politician won. Alexander tried to congratulate her and mean it, but it was obvious that he was too nervous to do much more than fake a smile. Angelica returned the smile and rubbed his arm.

"We're going to be okay." She told him, though she didn't know that it was true.

"I know," Alexander agreed, though he looked just as uncertain as Angelica felt.

"Miller said that she would keep you as the Secretary of Treasury if she's elected?" Angelica knew this was a fool's dream. The Republicans had put up a female candidate – who she normally would have been glad to endorse – but the woman was wretched. She accepted bribes from dozens of lobbyist groups, she wanted to defund major education programs, and she had called Alexander a bastard in at least one private conversation that had been leaked to the press.

"Yeah," Alexander wasn't too fond of Candidate Miller, either. "But her policies would bankrupt the country. She's already proven that she's not amenable to the word 'no'."

"How long would you last in her cabinet?" Angelica was trying to distract him from the numbers coming in from each state. The majority of the states were shaded a deep blue – signifying votes for John Adams.

"Maybe a year," Alexander responded with a lofty sigh. "Maybe more, if she completely tanked the economy. I don't know if resigning would be better for my career than being fired."

"You're not going to get fired." Angelica's voice was firm, but they both knew that she was lying.

"The votes are in!" Wolfe Blitzer proclaimed dramatically, facing down the camera like a dangerous enemy. Both Alexander and Angelica snapped to attention, forgetting about one another as they waited for a verdict that would determine the course of their future. "The next President of the United States will be John Adams. His Vice President, Thomas Jefferson, will be…"

Alexander's phone rang the moment that the news was declared. He jumped up off of the couch, pacing behind the back of it. Angelica turned around to watch him, frowning at him sympathetically.

"Hey, yeah. Have you talked to him?" Alexander's eyebrows furrowed as he paced. His head was pointed downwards, angled towards his phone. "Shit, really? Fucking Jefferson. Is there any chance that he looked over the briefs that I sent him last week? If he did, he'd know that – no, of course. Right. Yeah. Thanks."

Alexander hung up the phone, his jaw clenched.

"Who was that?" Angelica asked softly, standing up and approaching him slowly. She leaned into him, pressing a chaste kiss to his bicep.

Alexander took the hint and wrapped his arm around Angelica, pulling her close to his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head. "My source on the Adams campaign. He says that Adams and Jefferson agreed to fire me a week ago. The brief that I sent didn't change his mind – Adams didn't even read it. He said that I'll probably get the call tomorrow morning."

"What if…" Angelica looked up at him carefully. "We made a public announcement about the miscarriage?"

"What?" Alexander didn't hide his confusion.

Angelica had barely left the house following the miscarriage. Neither she nor Alexander were ready to face the cameras, the questions, and the pseudo sympathy from fellow politicians. But they had both been given some time to heal. They even began to smile again. Life had moved on; why shouldn't they?

"We make a statement tonight," Angelica stepped out of Alexander's arms to avoid being crushed by his disapproval. "On social media, obviously. We explain why we were so absent during the campaign. There were comments on the papers – that would make them look insensitive, which is a bonus. At the end of the statement, we thank Adams for his continued support during such a difficult time. There's no way that he could fire you after that. Not even Adams is that much of an asshole."

"Annie," Alexander shook his head. "We're not politicalizing your miscarriage."

"Why not? It happened. We might as well get something good out of it." Angelica reminded him loudly.

"Because it fucking _mattered_ to me," Alexander wasn't yelling, but his anger had just about reached its boiling point. "I don't want to turn it into some cheap bid for political capital."

"It mattered to me, too." Angelica was offended that he thought otherwise. "Don't think for one second that it didn't. That said, you're about to get fired and this is our saving grace. Everyone has seen how much you've wanted children; this won't look cheap, coming from you. Please, Alex. Let me give you this."

If she couldn't give him children, she could at least give him political capital.

Alexander looked off in the distance at nothing in particular. He was scowling. "Fine."

"How should we do it?" Angelica didn't bother with disbelief. She knew better than anyone that once Alexander committed to an idea, he followed through.

"Facebook," Alexander answered, grabbing his laptop off of the kitchen table and plopping down on the couch. Angelica joined him. "With these results, everyone is going to want to be on Facebook posting their opinions. Everyone is always so desperate to post their opinions."

"Well, thank god you're above all of that." Angelica murmured as Alexander's official Facebook page appeared, littered with political rants of his own.

Alexander quirked a sardonic smile in her direction before setting to work on the keyboard.

 _Valued Constituents,_

 _First, Angelica and I would like to voice our most heartfelt congratulations to our 48th president, John Adams. Like you, we accept him with the hope that he will fulfill all campaign promises and more in the name of the American people._

 _Second, we offer our apologies for our much-noticed absence throughout the election this term. As most of you are aware, Angelica was pregnant for much of the election. After taking some time to process and recover, we now have the strength to tell you that on December 2nd, Angelica suffered a miscarriage. We lost our daughter, Charlotte Elizabeth Hamilton just three months shy of her due date. We spent the time afterwards putting our emotional healing before the elections. Rest assured, the economy and my other cabinet duties did not suffer during this period. As always, I put my duty to this country above all else. My family falls second. The elections, third._

 _Angelica and I would like to thank President-Elect John Adams for his unwavering support during these trying times._

 _Always Your Obedient Servant,_

 _Alexander Hamilton_

"He's going to be furious when he sees this." Alexander told Angelica as he clicked the 'post' button.

"Yeah," Angelica agreed with a shrug. "But he won't fire you."

"This doesn't buy us permanent safety." Alexander murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "This is just a temporary fix."

Angelica shook her head. "This buys us a year, at least. You can make yourself indispensable within a year, can't you?"

"Mm," Alexander didn't look so certain. "I would have to make sure that my second in command was a useless dumbass – and that Adams knew that."

"What about Billy Duer?" Angelica didn't mind the idea.

"Duer?" Alexander looked at her in surprise. "From high school?"

"He's an economist now. Apparently. He did some contractual work for Church a while ago. Aaron and I were constantly having to clean up after him. Church wound up firing him, I think. He's a dumbass, but he's loyal." Angelica explained, rushing over both Aaron and Church's names to avoid any sort of reaction from Alexander.

"We'll see," Alexander responded, his eyes narrowed. "I'd rather not hire Duer if I can help it. It's possible that Adams will realize that he's in over his head and begrudgingly keep me on until his term is over."

"We can only hope," Angelica agreed with a small smile.

"I can't believe that you -"

Angelica's phone rang. Whatever it was that Alexander couldn't believe evaporated, as did his disbelieving smile. They both looked down to see the caller ID.

Thomas.

Angelica sighed before turning away from Alexander and answering. "Hey, Tom. Congratulations."

"Did you see what your dickhead husband posted on Facebook?" Thomas cut straight to the chase. "I can't believe that he would do something so…so…!"

"Tom," Angelica spoke calmly. Thomas fell silent. "I was the one who told him to make the post."

"What?" Thomas' voice was quiet as a whisper.

"Alex was against the post entirely," Angelica continued, though telling Alexander's political opponent this information might not have been the wisest of choices. "I was the one who convinced him to do it. It was the only thing that could save his job. Did it work?"

"Angelica," Thomas grumbled. "You shouldn't interfere like this."

"Why? Are you afraid that I'll outwit your entire administration?" Angelica tried to be playful.

Thomas sighed. He wasn't in the mood to be playful, it seemed. "You've always been good about leaving Hamilton's career to him. I don't want to feel like I'm fighting you when I'm fighting him."

"That's too bad. Alex and I are a team now," Angelica reminded him firmly. "If you try to get him fired again, you will receive resistance from me. Look, I'm not asking you to blindly go along with everything that he says – you know I'd never ask you to do that. I'm just advising you to let him do his job. He's good at it. He might have some other faults, but you know as well as I do that he works harder than anyone else."

"Hamilton serves at the pleasure of the President." Thomas' voice was raspy with anger. "Adams can fire him whenever he wants."

"I agree," Angelica walked out of the living room. She couldn't stand the fiercely proud look that Alexander was affording her. She didn't like him to know that she had such blind faith in him. "Adams can fire Alex whenever he wants. We both know that the media will have a field day with the news that our new president started out his term by firing a grieving would-be father."

"You can only bank off of this for a few months," Angelica wasn't used to Thomas speaking to her this way. It sounded like Thomas wasn't used to speaking to her this way, either. He was quiet, contemptuous. "After that, there'll be other news. Other grievances."

"That's true," Angelica agreed, scrutinizing her latest manicure while she spoke. "But Alex and I, we're like cockroaches. This was today's way of survival. We'll find something else when the time comes."

"I thought…" Thomas sighed softly.

"What?" Angelica's heart sank. It was difficult to threaten Thomas when he was no longer threatening her back.

"It's just…you're choosing him, aren't you?"

"Tom," Now in the foyer, away from Alexander, Angelica sank to the floor. Her back was pressed against the wall. She wrapped her left arm – the one not holding the phone – around herself for warmth. "You know it's always been Alex."

There was a ragged breath on the other line. Angelica cringed, her nose burning and her eyes watering.

"He's going to hurt you." Thomas finally said, his voice slow.

"You're probably right," Angelica agreed, wiping at her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater.

"He'll never treat you how I would…Angelica, I would be so good –"

"I know," Angelica tried to smile as her nose and throat became clogged. "But I still choose him. I'll always choose him, Tom. Alex and I…we just go together. I don't think that I'd be happy with anyone else, and I know that no one else would be happy with me."

"I would be happy with you." Thomas insisted.

"For a year, maybe," Angelica shook her head, her voice thick. "But that wouldn't last. You would hate me at the end of it. And I don't think that I could bear for you to hate me."

"How do you know that this won't make me hate you?"

"I guess I don't." The thought of Thomas hating her burned Angelica. "But if you have to hate me for anything, I'd rather you hate me for this."

"I made a room for you," Thomas sounded like he was choking back tears. Angelica pretended not to notice, but the lump in her own throat gave her away. "It'll always be there, Angie. Always. If you ever want it, or need it…"

"I know," Angelica had to interrupt him. If he continued on, her resolve would only weaken further. "Thank you, Tom. For everything."

"I love you, Angelica." Thomas' last plea cut through her like a knife.

"I love you too, Tom." Angelica could feel sobs rising up from her stomach. She had to hit the 'end call' button before Thomas said anything else. She didn't know if she would remain strong if he continued to speak to her in such a way.

Thomas had been her security blanket – her last connection to the person that she had been in high school. He was the only constant variable. Her relationship with Alexander had changed, Church was long-gone, Aaron too, and Eliza was in Delaware saving the animals. Cutting out Thomas set free the version of herself that she had been desperately grasping at for the past ten years.

"Hey," Alexander must have heard the conversation taper off. He appeared in the foyer, his hands in his pockets and his head ducked down to look at her. "Are you okay?"

"I will be," Angelica replied simply.

Alexander offered her a hand to help her up. Angelica accepted it, allowing Alexander's hand to pull her upright and into his chest.

* * *

When there was a knock on the front door the next morning, Angelica half-expected, half-hoped that it was Thomas. Since hanging up on the phone with her, she had gone back and forth about the decision. She still wasn't certain that it was the right thing to do. She had officially put all of her eggs in Alexander's basket. If he left, she had no backup plan. Their marriage had to work.

"Are you expecting anyone?" Alexander sat up from where he had been curled up on the couch, rubbing at his eyes.

They'd fallen asleep watching John Adams' speech that night. Alexander had chuckled at the tautness of Adams' features when Adams was asked about Alexander's Facebook post. Angelica felt a bloom of contentedness when Adams assured the press that Alexander's job would not be affected by their personal tragedy and that he had every reason to believe that Alexander would continue to serve the American people as he had done under the Washington administration.

"No," Angelica grumbled, stretching across the couch as Alexander got up and approached the front door.

"Hm." Alexander murmured, cracking the door open. He was always so wary about opening the door. He seemed to believe that the press would be on the other side. "Oh. Eliza."

"Angelica?" Eliza barged right past Alexander in search of Angelica. Angelica shot straight up like she had been burned. Eliza spotted her and darted right over to her, sweeping her into a firm but remarkably soft hug. "Oh, Angie. How are you?"

"Hi, honey," Angelica couldn't help but look Eliza over for any signs of distress. She couldn't imagine why Eliza here if she wasn't hurting. "What are you doing here? Are you okay?"

"I read Alexander's post." Eliza's voice had a hard edge to it. Like Thomas, she likely thought that it was Alexander who had chosen to capitalize on the miscarriage. "Why didn't you call me? Angie, I had to find out about…about…from Facebook!"

"I'm so sorry, honey." Angelica cooed, moving to sit on the couch and bringing Eliza down with her. "We didn't mean for that to happen. We didn't tell anyone before last night. We weren't planning on telling anyone last night, either, but Adams was going to fire Alexander last night. The announcement was the only thing that we could think of to save his job."

"Did he…?" Eliza cast Alexander a wary look. Alexander, who was fetching Eliza a glass of water – pretended not to notice.

"No," Angelica replied immediately. "It was my idea, completely."

Eliza fidgeted in her seat, biting her lip. She had not been prepared for Angelica's answer. "I brought the dogs with me."

"Did you?" Alexander chose this moment to return to the living room. He handed Eliza the glass of water with a small smile, encouraging her to love him once more. Like she ever stood a chance. "Where are they?"

"In the car," Eliza professed, looking from Alexander to Angelica apologetically. "But I left it on, with the heater running."

"Why don't we get them out?" Alexander suggested kindly. "It's not a great idea to leave a car running in the driveway. When did you get a car, by the way?"

"In September," Eliza allowed Alexander to guide her towards the front door again. "It isn't much, but it's used mostly for carting dogs around, so why should it be? I've started getting paid to train and walk dogs for people who like the idea of a dog, but can't commit to the realities of one."

"Very good," Alexander approved as they walked out the front door.

Angelica allowed them this moment in one another's company. It was only natural that Eliza wanted to spend time with Alexander, now that it had been proven that he was not the monster that she had allowed herself to believe. He hadn't been the one to capitalize on her sister's miscarriage. He hadn't fallen off the golden pedestal that Eliza had so carefully constructed for him.

When they returned, five dogs came with them. Eliza had found homes for some of them already, she explained, these were just her current fosters. All housebroken, all perfectly befitting of a home.

"Annie," Alexander was playing with one of the dog's ears as he looked to Angelica apologetically. "It's begun again."

"What are you talking about?" Angelica hoisted herself off of her sofa to see what it was that Alexander was referencing.

Alexander nodded to the front door, still hanging open as Eliza ushered the dogs in. On the doorstep, there was a bundle of mail that Alexander must have removed from the mailbox while outside. Angelica grabbed the mail off of the doorstep before closing the door behind the last of the dogs.

It didn't take long for Angelica to see what Alexander was talking about. There were frantic letters from all news outlets, all begging for exclusive interviews. They had already been calling and emailing – they were now using their last method of contacting them. There were also letters from radical pro-life associations, blaming her for the miscarriage of her child. Apparently, the abortion that she had gotten years ago barred her from ever enjoying motherhood.

"Congratulations on your candidate's win, by the way." Eliza only just remembered Angelica's small victory the night before. It was very like her, assuming that Angelica's marriage was the focal point and her career was hardly more than a sideshow. "Do you know if you're going to work on any more campaigns now?"

"I don't think that I will." Angelica had been thinking about this for a few weeks, now. She knew that working for her candidate would only last until the campaign was over. Beyond that, she was on her own. She couldn't work for Church again – she wasn't sure that either she or Church would be able to tolerate such an arrangement. She had gotten a few offers from news outlets, offering her a job, but Angelica knew they only wanted her for the stories that she would have about Alexander. "I think that I'm going to take a break from politics for a little while."

"Really?" This was the first that Alexander had heard of Angelica's plan, too. "Then what are you going to do?"

"I don't know." Angelica sighed, starting to feel a little bit nervous. "I was planning to take a few years off for…" She wouldn't mention the baby, she wouldn't mention the baby. "But anyway, I think that some time off could really benefit me."

"If you want, you could always work with me." Eliza was quick to break the awkward air that Angelica's off-handed reference had created. "You wouldn't really be making money, but there's always so much to do for the animals."

"You know what?" Angelica crooked a smile, glancing from Eliza to Alexander in amusement. "I would love nothing more than to work for you."

* * *

Angelica worked with Eliza to establish an actual organization for the dogs that she was taking in. She applied for government grants, found a cheap, multi-acre property with a burned-down barn for a ridiculously low price. She hired contractors that she had met through Church to rebuild the barn and create a hiking path throughout the multi-acre property. She built an interactive animal shelter in which the animals had massive stalls to themselves, and where families could arrive and offer to take a dog (or, in some instances, a cat) for a hike for the day. By the end of the year, Eliza was training 20 new volunteers a week to keep the operation going.

But Angelica was too energetic to sit back and enjoy the success that she had already accrued. She had to do more.

An opportunity presented itself in the form of a sick Central Asian Shepherd named Roman. He had a rare disease, malignant hyperthermia. Eliza was able to afford all of the surgeries and medicine that was required to take care of Roman, but after speaking with the vet, Angelica found out that most dog owners whose dogs developed the illness either put the dog down, or abandoned it at their local animal shelter. It was simply too expensive to take care of the dogs.

So, Angelica started a charity that paid for dogs with malignant hyperthermia to receive the treatment they needed, if their owners were unable or unwilling to pay for it themselves. She threw several fundraisers a year and even arranged for a few commercials to ensure that the charity did not have to turn away applicants for such funds.

After the malignant hyperthermia charity took off, Angelica turned to children. An orphanage was her next mission.

She kept on like this for two years, always pursuing a new cause to bring a touch of success to. It wasn't until Alexander came home from work with a strange look on his face that Angelica's pursuit of a new cause ended.

"What's the matter?" She demanded impatiently, scrutinizing Alexander's face for any sign of hurt. "Adams didn't fire you, did he? I thought that you said that the debt plan had solidified your position! That no one could understand it enough to undermine –"

"Annie." Alexander shook his head, the corners of his mouth curving upwards. "Adams didn't fire me. I just…"

"What?" Angelica groaned, desperate for him to give her the news.

"The Federalist commission called me today," Alexander spoke as though he didn't even believe his own words. "They told me that they would support me if I chose to run for president after Adams' term."

 **A/N: Me again! I just wanted to pop in and share that Roman the Central Asian Shepherd was a real dog! Or rather, IS a real dog. Unlike fictional Roman, he's perfectly healthy, but he was a shelter dog that I spent a bunch of time with while volunteering. Google Central Asian Shepherds, in honor of Roman (who got adopted shortly after I wrote this chapter). They're big love bugs, and I love the thought of little Eliza snuggling with one!**


	28. Chapter 28

"You sure you want to go home today?" Johnny asked with a grin, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as he stood outside of the car in the drop-off lane. "You could always write me another sick note. There's a museum exhibit that I saw in the Times today…"

Angelica rolled her eyes, smiling. "Go to class. Impress Aaron Burr's daughter before Philip decides that he wants her, after all."

"Mom!" Johnny complained, looking around to see if anyone had heard her. When he looked back at Angelica, though, he was smiling. He liked this new dynamic in their relationship. Angelica did, too. "Text me when it's safe to come home. Otherwise, I'm going to Uncle Alex's and asking about that Philadelphia trip you don't want to tell me about."

"If you're going over there, you owe Uncle Alex an apology. Last time you saw him, you tried to fight him," Angelica reminded Johnny, taking a parental tone that sounded foreign to her own ears.

"Right," Johnny frowned. "I'll call him during lunch."

Angelica nodded. "And I'll speak to your father."

"Godspeed."

"Back at you."

* * *

Church was waiting for her when she got home. He was sitting at the kitchen table, flipping through a stack of papers.

"Hey," Angelica said lamely.

"Did you take our son to school today?" Church didn't even look up from the papers. "Or did you decide that he needed another day to run around and play?"

"He's at school," Angelica answered firmly. "After what he heard, I don't think it was unreasonable to give him a day to process."

"Away from me."

"Yes. Church, he loves you to pieces, but he's so afraid of disappointing you. You should ease up on him."

"And now you're giving me parenting advice." Church sneered down at his papers before finally looking up at Angelica. His eyes were bloodshot. "You do realize that you have been an absentee parent since Johnny was born, don't you? You've been so busy waiting for every spare minute that Alexander might give you -"

Angelica looked around frantically. Eliza couldn't hear this conversation.

"Calm down, she's out running errands," Church snorted at Angelica's concern. "She won't know your shameful secret."

"You hate me, don't you?" Angelica looked him over in surprise.

"I hate what you've done to this marriage." Church looked back at the stack of papers, like this conversation no longer interested him. "You've done everything you can to throw away happiness every time that it threatens to impose itself on you."

"Could you please at least _pretend_ that you're more interested in discussing our marriage than you are in your work?" Angelica asked irritably. Typically she was the one who was too absorbed with work to focus on personal aspects such as marriage. She relished the opportunity to criticize Church for something she knew that she was guilty of.

"It's not work," Church didn't look up. He tapped his bottom lip with his pen. "It's an apartment lease."

"What? For who?"

"Me. And Johnny, probably. And you," Church looked up at Angelica, his stony expression melting into one nearing the sweet, vulnerable one that he had worn for so many years. "If you want to come with me."

"What are you talking about?" Angelica's voice trembled.

"Angelica, this place is poisonous," Church shook his head, his upper lip stiffening. "We won't make it if we stay here. I've got to get out right now. I found an apartment close to Johnny's school, and I've called my real estate agent. They're going to look for a house - something more permanent - while I stay at this apartment and regain my sanity. I'm taking Johnny with me; Philip is not a good influence on him, and he needs structure. I want you to come with us, but I won't make you."

"Church, I…" Angelica's mouth went dry.

"It's your decision, Angelica." Church rose to his feet, collecting the stack of papers that turned out to be apartment lease papers. "I'm not going to convince you that our marriage is worth it, because I don't know that it is. If you don't come with us, though, you can expect divorce papers in the mail."

"Church," Angelica repeated, trying to reason with him.

"I'm not like Eliza," Church shook his head, tucking the papers under his arm. He looked at Angelica firmly, but pleadingly. He was begging her to understand a decision that he refused to deviate from. "I can't just… _keep_ you. I can't say that we're separated while we're still married and pretend that I'm happy with it. I need this to be all or nothing. You're either my wife, or you aren't."

"You can't just give me an ultimatum." For the first time in their relationship, Angelica was struggling for the upper hand. "That isn't fair. You're asking me to abandon my sister."

"I am asking you to walk out of this burning building with me," Church replied calmly. "Just…think about it, Angelica. I'm packing my things today. The movers are coming tomorrow."

He left the kitchen, leaving Angelica to stand there, feeling as though the wind had been knocked right out of her.

She looked around, uncertain. She was so rarely alone in this house. Being surrounded by the Hamiltons - Eliza, Philip, Baby, Junior…they stopped her from being alone.

She couldn't deal with this.

She needed a Hamilton.

Bottom lip trembling, Angelica felt her coat pocket for her car keys. They jingled, encouraging her to do what she did best.

Run.

She left the house, hurrying down the driveway to her car. It was a small refuge from the hostile environment that Church had created with his ultimatum. Her hand shook as she jammed the key into the ignition. She threw the car into reverse and stomped on the gas before Church could come out and say any more wretched things.

She wound up at Alexander's apartment complex. She didn't remember when she had decided to go to the apartment complex, nor did she remember taking the exit off of the highway that led to the complex. She only knew that she was here now. She sucked in a breath, steadying herself.

Perhaps, she told herself, it was for the best that Church was giving her this ultimatum. Maybe this was the push that she needed to finally allow herself to have Alexander. After all, what was standing in their way besides Church? His marriage to Eliza had dissolved pretty much the moment that he stood at the podium of the press conference. It was no longer so bad that Angelica would feel bad taking up with him, though. Since Philip's tour of Columbia, they had returned to speaking terms. Alexander would text Eliza when Philip was staying at his place for dinner, Eliza would text Alexander when Philip made it home safely. Alexander joined Eliza when she went to Junior's soccer games and Baby's mathlete competitions. They were friends, more or less, so Eliza couldn't be too angry when she heard that they were together. The kids loved Angelica as well, which would help them accept her as their new stepmother. As for Alexander's past indiscretions with Maria…well, Angelica was sure that he had learned from his mistakes. He wouldn't make them with her.

A smile cracked across Angelica's face. She hadn't smiled like this since the Reynolds Affair press conference. For the first time since high school, it looked like Alexander was possible for her.

She removed the keys from the ignition and reached for the car door handle, eager to begin this next chapter of her life. As she leaned on the door handle, however, she caught sight of Alexander sitting on a bench outside of his apartment complex, where she and Johnny had spoken just the night before. Eliza was sitting beside him. Angelica released her hold on the door handle, settling back into her seat.

Alexander was engrossed in whatever it was that Eliza was saying. It was unusual for Alexander to listen to someone speak without even trying to interrupt. He looked desperate, like he was silently pleading with her. Eliza didn't seem to notice this. She was looking down at her knees as she spoke, her eyebrows knit together thoughtfully.

Eliza stopped talking. She was still looking at her knees thoughtfully.

Alexander asked her something. Angelica could only tell by the expression on his face as he spoke.

Eliza paused. Angelica didn't know what the question was, but she found herself holding her breath. She allowed herself to speculate wildly on what it might have been. Maybe Alexander was asking Eliza for permission to date her sister. Maybe Alexander was asking Eliza to love him again. Maybe he was asking for a divorce. Maybe he was asking for Eliza to avoid a divorce.

Eliza's hand moved from her lap to cover Alexander's hand on the bench. Alexander looked at it, stunned. Eliza looked up from her knees and in the direction of the parking lot as she spoke. Angelica swallowed hard and returned the key to the ignition.

It was obvious that Angelica would only encroach upon this situation.

Angelica threw the car into reverse and backed out of her parking spot before either Alexander or Eliza would see her. She then drove away, glaring at the road in front of her. She left the two of them to work out whatever it was that they were working out; whether it was out of self-preservation or love for her sister, Angelica would never know.

* * *

"And it looks like the last of the election results are in!" Angelica forced a smile as she looked down at the envelope that Quincy had thrown at her during the commercial break. "Ladies and gentlemen, join me in congratulating the next president of the United States - John Adams! Quincy, do you want to come out here and say something to your father?"

"What?" Quincy looked horrified as Angelica grinned and pulled him in front of the camera. "Oh, uh…congratulations…Dad. I, uh, I'll be at your party later tonight?" He turned to look at Angelica in askance. He did not enjoy being the center of attention.

"He's coming with me right now, Mr. President," Angelica laughed, nudging Quincy with her shoulder. "This is Angelica Schuyler. Coming up next, I'll be reporting on the presidential party!"

"That's a wrap!" One of the crewmen announced. A bell rang, alerting everyone to the fact that they were no longer filming.

"You ready to go?" Church approached from behind the cameras, holding Angelica's coat up with a hopeful smile.

"Absolutely," Angelica accepted the coat with a grateful smile before looking between Quincy and Johnny. "Is it okay if Quincy joins us? I figure he's done enough work for one day; he should be at his dad's victory party."

"Of course. There's always room in the car for one more," Church agreed readily. "Though I'm not sure that Secret Service would approve."

Angelica shrugged with a careless smile. "He's a grown-up. I don't think they worry about the grown-up kids as much as they do the little ones. Anyway, they should know by now that I'll take good care of him. I don't think that I could find another employee half as smart."

"Uh-huh," Church shook his head, smiling as they started for the parking lot. "Johnny, do you want to tell your mother what we heard about the party?"

"Dad," Johnny complained, frowning. "I told you, I was just kidding."

"Go on." Church insisted.

"They're not carding at the bar," Johnny sighed, looking at Angelica unwillingly. "I never said that I was going to drink anything."

"You'd better not," Church remarked firmly. "You know the rules. One citation and you can kiss your car goodbye."

"I'm not even driving tonight," Johnny complained.

"That's not the point."

Johnny looked at Angelica for support. Angelica shrugged with a sympathetic smile. She didn't want to undermine Church's authority; she'd done that enough for one lifetime just a few short months ago. Johnny let out an irritated groan as Church climbed into the driver's seat of the car.

Angelica grabbed Johnny's shoulder, holding him back while Quincy got into the car.

"If you play nice with all of the politicians tonight, I'll make sure your dad is looking away for about ten minutes tonight. It should only take you four to get something from the bar," Angelica told him quietly, a playful smile overtaking her face. "I can't buy you more than that - you know how your dad is."

Johnny grinned before bounding into the car beside John Quincy.

"What did you tell him?" Church inquired, looking at Angelica suspiciously as she got into the passenger's side.

Angelica just smiled at him placatingly. "I told him to behave himself at the party. There'll probably be some important people that he needs to get along with in life."

"Mhm." Church didn't seem to believe her but decided against pushing the point. "Alright, everyone's seatbelts on?"

"Yes." Everyone answered automatically. Church always asked this question before putting the car into drive. It was like being on the Magic School Bus.

"Okay," Church smiled. "Then off to Mr. Adams' house we go."

Angelica watched Church as he navigated the miserable city traffic to get to John Adams' house. He looked so different from the way he'd looked during high school. He looked older. He looked less boyish. His sandy hair was now graying. There were lines across his forehead from years of stress. He didn't have the same laughter lines bracketing his mouth that Alexander did.

"Here we are." Angelica was so busy surveying Church's features that she didn't watch their progress on the road. She blinked in surprise. It felt as though they had just gotten into the car, and they were already there. She looked down at her clothes, hoping that she was neither overdressed nor underdressed. It was always hard to tell with this crowd.

"Angelica!" Thomas was the first one to notice their arrival as they stepped into the barebones foyer of the Adams' house. He ambled across the room like a seagull pursuing a breadcrumb, a dopey and more-than-a-little-drunk smile lighting up his face. "And husband! And son! Thank you all for coming! I don't know you." He looked at Quincy, perplexed.

"Jefferson," Adams grunted, pattering over from behind Thomas. "That's my son. Quincy, what are you doing here? You're not skipping work, are you?"

"His boss gave him the night off," Angelica teased, smiling at Adams briefly before focusing her attention on Thomas. "Tom, how could you not recognize your boss' son?"

"He's got so many of them," Thomas answered with a sheepish smile and a shrug. "Speaking of sons - Johnny, I didn't want to say anything until we were certain that we won the elections, but I saved a spot in my office just for you. I know that the summer before college, students usually pick up an internship. I thought that working at the White House might look good on your resume."

"Oh, that was nice of you." Angelica was surprised that this had even occurred to Thomas. The man didn't even know when his own daughter's birthday was.

"Oh, uh…" Johnny looked at Angelica uncertainly. "Yeah, I appreciate that, Mr. Jefferson…uh…Mr. Vice President?" He stumbled over his words, his ears reddening.

"He just accepted an internship with George Washington." Angelica helped him out, putting a hand on Johnny's shoulder reassuringly. "He's planning to work for George while he attends the University of Virginia."

"The University of Virginia?" Thomas didn't seem offended in the least. His dopey smile remained intact as Church took a few steps forward, watching the conversation with an unnerving amount of interest. "Well, hey, I didn't know that you were going there! I could have put in a few good words for you - I know most of the office of admissions."

"He did just fine without the connections," Church remarked with no small amount of pride.

"Dad," Johnny complained, his ears reddening.

"No, of course. He seems like a smart boy - that's why I was so eager to have him in my office. I should have known that Washington would be scouting you, as well." Thomas refused to stop smiling. "You'll have to stop by my house for dinner every once in a while. I know that the food in the commons gets old very quickly."

"Thanks, Mr. Jefferson. Or, er…Mr. Vice President?" Johnny frowned. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be rude, I just haven't been around a Vice President in a little while."

"Call me Thomas," Thomas laughed, smiling at Johnny in an affectionate way that caused Church's muscles to tense. Thomas didn't seem to notice or care. His eyes turned to look at Angelica. "Angelica, would you mind humoring me for a moment? I wanted to ask you a question about CNN's coverage of this party."

"Sure," Angelica knew that Thomas was lying. Judging from the look on Church's face, he knew that Thomas was lying, too. Angelica smiled at him placatingly. "You two go mingle. I'll join you in just a minute. Johnny, I think that I saw Aaron Burr wandering around somewhere. Maybe his daughter came with him."

"Who, Theodosia?" Thomas looked over his shoulder towards the ballroom. "Sure, she's around here somewhere. She might be with Polly. Wonderful girl."

"Mom!" Johnny complained, storming off before Angelica could say anything else to incriminate him. Church cast Angelica a warning look before following after Johnny. He really was incapable of leaving the poor boy alone for more than a minute.

"So, you and him, huh?" Thomas nodded after Church, his smile fading into something more genuine. "How's that working out?"

"Tom," Angelica warned him with no real malice.

"I know, I know," Thomas held up his hands in resignation. "I'm not trying to start any trouble; I'm just curious. I never figured you for the kind of woman who'd be straightened out by an ultimatum. I wondered if maybe Hamilton's recent reconciliation with his wife had something to do with…"

"Thomas," Angelica cut him off sternly. "I'm not here to discuss or justify my marriage. Church and I are happy. We're not perfect - god, of course we're not perfect, I'm half of us - but we're doing our best. Can you please just accept that this is what's best for me right now, and leave it at that?"

"Angelica?" Church appeared from behind her, his head craned in a respectful gesture but his mouth barely suppressing a gleeful smirk. Angelica closed her eyes for just a split second, thanking every god ever belived by mankind that he had caught her saying the right thing. She had been seconds away from saying something very different about Eliza and Alexander's reconciliation.

She turned around, plastering a fake smile on her face. "Yeah?"

"I was just talking to the Madisons. They want to say hi."

"Okay," Angelica afforded Thomas a sad courtesy smile. "Congratulations, Thomas."

"Thanks." Thomas visibly deflated as Angelica left the foyer.

* * *

"That was a fun party," Church remarked, running around the bedroom in his nightly routine. He was currently pulling on the shirt of his pajama set - because, yes, Church wore a pajama set to bed every single night - while kicking off his slippers and shuffling away from the puppy as it attempted to bite his toes. "I'm surprised that John Adams has such a lovely home. I'd always assumed that he lived in, well, a cave."

He'd adopted the puppy the day that Johnny had accepted his spot at the University of Virginia. He suddenly remembered only fond things about Taz - their dog from their college years - and thought that it might make their "empty nest" less empty. Angelica had impatiently reminded him of the work that went into training a puppy, but Church was insistent. Now, they had to wear shoes at all times to avoid the teething monster in their home.

"Hm." Angelica agreed, closing her book and looking up at Church with a diplomatic smile. "I suppose Abigail is to be credited with that."

"Maybe." Church considered, plopping into bed beside Angelica. "Although she doesn't strike me as particularly warm, either."

"Really? Oh, I think she's wonderful," Angelica protested. "She was so nice to me when I was in high school."

"She brags about her kids too much."

"Well, they are great kids. They've all gone to Ivy Leagues."

"Johnny got into Columbia."

"So, brag about him."

"I shouldn't have to."

Angelica rolled her eyes. "I don't know what you want me to say, Church."

"Umm," Church grumbled, pulling the sheets up to his neck like a puritan. "I don't know. I usually don't enjoy those political parties, is all. I did tonight, though. I think that you being there helped. I'm not used to seeing you when we're at those things."

"Hm." Angelica humored him with a smile, but that was it. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

"I did." Church reached over and turned off the light without asking Angelica if she was done reading her book. "Goodnight, Angelica."

"Goodnight, Church."

 **Rewind**

Alexander quit his job as the Secretary of the Treasury in order to focus on his campaign. John Adams accepted the resignation with a combination of relief and resentment. He knew that Alexander had been tapped by the Federalist party, he knew that the Federalist party would not back him for a second term. But he could not think of a way to punish Alexander other than accepting his resignation, warning him that he would never return to the White House as the Secretary of the Treasury again, win or lose. Adams also delighted in calling Alexander a bastard to his face. Angelica was proud of Alexander for not stooping to Adams' level and replying.

Neither Angelica nor Alexander ever thought of hiring Alexander a campaign manager. It was understood almost immediately that Angelica would be his campaign manager. She knew him best, she knew the public exceptionally well, and like Alexander, she was willing to win at all costs.

Eliza helped with the campaign as well. She said that she owed it to Angelica, after all of Angelica's help turning her animal shelter into a reality. Angelica didn't necessarily see it that way, but she was glad for the help.

She was especially glad for the help because Alexander was running for president against two former classmates: Aaron Burr and Thomas Jefferson.

Alexander was most worried about Aaron. Angelica worried more about Thomas, especially since the Republican party was affording him a large amount of money to run his campaign. It was at least $5 million more than Alexander was getting from the Federalist party.

Still, Alexander locked himself away in his office, writing all kinds of social media posts and treatises about every imaginable issue. He threw all of his opinions in the voters' faces, ensuring that they knew exactly why they would or would not vote for him. He publicly objected to the partisan voting scheme; he advised Federalists not to vote for him simply because he was the Federalist candidate. He demanded that they vote on the basis of platforms, not on the basis of party.

Thomas responded to just about everything that Alexander posted, throwing down the gauntlet on several issues. There was one particular evening in which Alexander stupidly allowed a Q&A session on Reddit which ended up being nothing other than Thomas posting snarky questions and Alexander posting snarky answers. Their chat thread had been featured in the Wall Street Journal. Angelica had framed it as a reminder of what not to do going forward with the campaign.

Aaron Burr, meanwhile, had started to gain praise for not being Alexander or Thomas. He kept quiet while the other two posted on every media platform possible. He remained quiet on issues that Alexander and Thomas were outspoken on. Everyone liked him because they could convince themselves that he believed in everything that they believed in. He was a blank canvas for constituents to do with as they pleased.

Alexander assured Angelica that this would change with the first presidential debate. Aaron would be forced to speak out on his opinions, which would surely polarize at least a quarter of his current supporters. Angelica wasn't so certain.

As she stood backstage, watching Alexander and Thomas shriek at one another, she couldn't stop noticing how normal Aaron looked beside them.

"Mr. Burr," Angelica hoped that the mediator's newest question would force Aaron to say something damning. "You spoke of Mr. Hamilton's emotional competency, or lack thereof, several weeks ago in an interview with the _Times_."

Alexander glanced off to the side of the stage, looking at Angelica curiously.

 _He had?_

"Yes." Aaron acknowledged this statement without looking at Alexander.

"Do you believe that Mr. Hamilton would make a decision unwise for the country, or are you simply concerned that he has not allowed himself time to heal?" The mediator pressed, watching Aaron for an answer.

"I believe that Mr. Hamilton has shown the American people that he possesses a volatile temperament time and time again." Aaron wouldn't look at Alexander as he spoke. It was for the best. Alexander looked like he was a wolf baring its fangs. "He has had a number of indiscretions in the past, all of which seem prompted by marital issues. Now, his wife is his campaign manager who has just suffered a tragic miscarriage. I believe that Mr. Hamilton is setting himself up for failure by not taking a year to assess his mental needs and find a way to distance his personal life from his political life."

Angelica gawked at Aaron from the back of the stage. Had he really just blamed her for Alexander's shortcomings?

"Mr. Mediator," Alexander growled, his voice thick.

"In a moment, Mr. Hamilton," The mediator had long since lost his patience with Alexander. "It is Mr. Jefferson's turn for a rebuttal."

"No," Alexander spoke over the mediator, his angry gaze fixed on Aaron. "No, Mr. Mediator, I think that you'll want to hear this. It'll make your ratings skyrocket. Mr. Burr, since you felt the need to discuss my wife's miscarriage within the scope of my political life instead of my social life, I feel compelled to discuss it, as well. I think that it is certainly worth mentioning the cause of Angelica's miscarriage, don't you?"

"Mr. Hamilton, I don't -" Aaron protested, shaking his head. He knew that if Alexander was allowed the time to say what he wanted to say, Aaron's poll numbers would falter in a big way.

"Mr. Hamilton!" The mediator agreed loudly.

"Aaron Burr caused my wife's miscarriage," Alexander's voice was louder than Aaron and the mediator combined. "He threatened to –"

The red light signifying that the debate was being aired snapped off. They had gone straight to commercial break, cutting Alexander off. He turned to scowl at Angelica the moment he noticed.

"Tell them to turn it on again." He sounded like a petulant child.

Angelica did no such thing. She surged out of the shadows beside the stage, walking past Aaron and Thomas without looking at either of them. She walked right up to Alexander and grabbed him by the tie, holding him tight.

"What the _fuck_ were you thinking?" She demanded quietly, holding his attention with her eyes alone. "Your numbers just _nosedived_."

"He was calling me a crazy person!" Alexander thundered, gesturing towards where Aaron was frantically pretending to read through some papers at his podium. Aaron kept his eyes down. The enraged look in Alexander's eyes _did_ make him look like a crazy person. Angelica decided not to tell him that.

"I don't care." Angelica hissed. "He's just trying to get you to take the bait."

"Annie, I don't -"

"And we're back in five…" The producer said loudly, looking at Angelica pointedly.

"Behave," Angelica warned Alexander, tugging on his tie roughly before releasing it.

"Four…"

"But –"

"Three…"

"No." Angelica shook her head, walking towards the side of the stage again, throwing a disapproving look over her shoulder.

"Two…"

"Yeah, Hamilton," Thomas sneered. "Shut up."

"One."

"And we're back," The mediator silenced any further remarks that Alexander might have directed at Thomas. "Mr. Jefferson, if you would please discuss your platform on global warming, as you briefly hinted at in an interview earlier this month."

"Sure," Thomas grinned at Alexander before laying out the policy that his campaign team had created. Alexander glowered at him all the while, surely not appearing very level-headed to the viewers.

* * *

Angelica woke up to a phone chock-full of messages. This in itself wasn't outrageous. The organizations that she had helped establish were often reaching out to her to ask for advice or a signature, Alexander's campaign took a small army to keep moving, and Angelica herself had more than a few friends.

That said, she recognized straight away that the source of all of these messages was a problem. Alexander had written something to the editor of the New York Times without having Angelica check it first. That in itself was worrying. Alexander always showed Angelica his writings, even when they weren't very good. It was a sign that he knew that he should not have been writing what he was writing.

Angelica followed the link that one of the members of the campaign had sent her in a frantic text. She would have to read the letter to know exactly how much damage Alexander had caused.

 _To the Editor of the Times,_

 _As I was cut short during the debates, I now seek to articulate what I was not permitted to say within the columns of your newspaper, should you allow it. I will not waste your readers' time flattering you with the reasons that led me to choose your paper; if you wish to receive such remarks, you may contact me at a more appropriate date._

 _What I desperately wished to share with the American people was the reality of candidate Aaron Burr. I have known both Aaron Burr and Thomas Jefferson for a good majority of my life, all of us belonging to politically active families within the same state. Aaron and I were something of friends earlier in our lives; he worked with my wife for years._

 _As often happens, the friendship evaporated as Angelica and I sought a different path than Aaron. It had not yet gone sour, per se, but certainly loyalties that once existed no longer did. The dissolved loyalty became detrimental when, three years ago, Aaron found out about a piece of gossip regarding Angelica and I that we would have much preferred to keep out of the press. It is no secret that we have had our fair share of marital problems; we are only human, after all._

 _Aaron Burr threatened to expose this piece of gossip for monetary and political gain. He told Angelica that the only way to stop the gossip from getting out was to either pay him the amount of money that he would make from newspapers, or to offer him comparable political influence. With a baby on the way and instability surrounding John Adams' elections, Angelica and I could afford him neither of those things. Recognizing that such gossip might put our own careers at jeopardy, Angelica went to Aaron's house to attempt to reason with him. Aaron did not want reasoning. He wanted negotiation. He persisted, placing Angelica under a great deal of stress during the encounter._

 _The stress caused Angelica Hamilton to suffer a miscarriage of our would-be daughter._

 _Not only did Aaron Burr cause the miscarriage, but he accepted no responsibility for doing so. I will allow him the fact that he brought Angelica to the hospital – I do appreciate this act of care – but he left her there, alone. I was at the White House and was only informed of the incident after Angelica had undergone emergency care. When I arrived, she was alone. Aaron could not muster the friendship to remain during one of the darkest days of either of our lives._

 _Before anyone considers Aaron Burr for president, remember the image of my wife sitting in the hospital, alone. Think of the man who could stand to leave her there. You don't have to vote for me, but by god, do not vote for him._

 _Forever Your Obedient Servant,_

 _Alexander Hamilton_

"Alex," Angelica growled, tossing her phone aside and climbing out of bed. She scampered through the house until she found Alexander in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal. He was in his workout clothes – he must have just come back from a run. Hearing her enter the kitchen, he looked up at her guiltily.

"Good morning." He ventured hopefully.

"What were you thinking?" She didn't bother playing into his game. "Your numbers didn't drop enough last night? What have I told you, time and time again? Stop worrying about the other candidates. They are their campaign manager's problem. Worry about your own campaign, because your campaign manager is about to kill you."

"Did you look at the numbers?" Alexander quirked an eyebrow, chancing a smile.

"I haven't had the time," Angelica glowered at him, snatching his tablet from the table and pulling up the app the campaign used to keep track of his numbers. To her surprise, they'd risen. Not only that, but Aaron's numbers had plunged into the dangerous 15% territory.

"Aha," Alexander smirked, taking a long sip of his coffee. "Are you still going to kill me?"

"I might." Angelica threatened, but there was no heat behind it. She smiled and took Alexander's coffee mug from his hands, taking a sip of her own. "Don't you dare do anything like that again."

* * *

"I think that I should talk about the economy more." Alexander hummed, his voice muffled by the pen cap in his mouth. He scratched at a golden retriever's ear absent-mindedly as he stared down at the legal pad on his lap. "That's what I'm known for, after all."

"I don't think so." Eliza disagreed, crossing out a few words of Alexanders. "I think that the reason you've gained so many voters is because everyone sees you as a family man. Aaron and Thomas aren't married – you are. Not only that, but you defend Angie at every turn. That's what they want to see. I think that you should give some kind of story about Angelica."

"Like an anecdote?" Alexander weighed her words thoughtfully.

It was Thanksgiving and Eliza had brought her dogs to Angelica's house for the holiday. Alexander was using the time to work on a speech he would have to give the next day. He was hoping that whatever he said in his speech would force Thomas' voters to forgive him for anything he said during his next debate.

Angelica was busy micromanaging the campaign's social media director. The social media director had been making some off-brand posts lately.

Her phone rang in the midst of a strongly worded email. Angelica glanced up at Alexander and Eliza to see if either of them would bother to answer it. They continued their conversation, sorting through different anecdotes to find the one most suited for the speech.

Angelica rolled her eyes and disappeared into Alexander's office, where their only landline phone existed. It chattered against its confines, demanding to be answered. Angelica sighed as she scooped the phone up and hit the "talk" button.

"Hello?"

"Is this the Hamilton residence?" An unfamiliar voice inquired.

"Yeah," Angelica's posture stiffened, wondering if the press had somehow gotten her phone number. "Who is this?"

"The NYPD's office, ma'am." The voice was deep and apologetic. "We're calling with regards to Aaron Burr. You and your husband are listed as his emergency contacts."

"Aaron?" Angelica was too surprised by the police officer's purpose to worry over the fact that she and Alexander had been made Aaron's emergency contacts. "What's the matter? Is he okay?"

"Well, no," The officer sounded extremely uncomfortable. "That's why we're calling. You see, Mr. Burr has…"

"Annie," Alexander found Angelica clutching his office desk for support, the phone lying on the floor, forgotten. Angelica was staring off at the wall, at some far-off place. "Are you okay? Who was on the phone?"

"Hm?" Angelica looked at Alexander in surprise, like she'd only just been snapped back into reality.

"Angelica." The playful element had disappeared from Alexander's voice. He looked at Angelica in concern. "Who was on the phone?"

"Oh, um, the NYPD," Angelica answered, her eyebrows knitting together.

"Uh oh," Alexander tried being playful again. "What kind of trouble did you cause in New York?"

"It was about Aaron." Angelica didn't hear Alexander's joke. Her eyes were glassy and unseeing. Still, she turned in the general direction of Alexander's voice. "He's dead."

* * *

He left a note. It was a cruel thing, leaving a note. It was one last selfish act before the most supremely selfish act trumped it. In the note, he detailed his friendship with Alexander and Angelica, insisting that he had always felt as though they were family to them. Their quarrels, in his view, were merely the quarrels of siblings. He assured both that he still loved them dearly, even as he drew his last breath.

He didn't say why he did it. Perhaps that was the cruelest part of the note. Alexander and Angelica were left to try and convince themselves that his death had nothing to do with them at all.

 **A/N: I'd apologize for the drama, but by this point, you all know my brand. I only popped up to tell you that while writing this chapter, I got a little baby puppy myself and named him after one of the characters in this very chapter. Bet no one would ever guess which character...**


	29. Chapter 29

"Why are we going to this, again?" Church fidgeted with his tie as he, Angelica, and Johnny walked up the Hamilton driveway to the front door which they used to own keys to. "Friday night dinner?"

"It's Tuesday." Angelica rolled her eyes. "Alex is throwing a party because his debt plan made it through Congress."

"Debt plan?" Church looked at Angelica in surprise. "Hasn't he been working on that since Washington was president? He's just now getting that all wrapped up?"

"It takes a while to get things through Congress."

"I'll say…Jeez."

"The Church family!" Alexander answered the door, beaming. "Thank you guys so much for coming. I know it's a school night, so I told Philip to make up a guest bed just in case Johnny needs to get some sleep."

"He'll be fine," Church assured him briskly. "We'll go home when he gets too tired."

"Of course." Alexander smiled awkwardly. He turned to look at Angelica, his discomfort growing by the minute. "Annie, hey. I'm surprised you found the time to come here. I saw your ratings the other day."

"They're just numbers." Angelica shrugged off his subtle compliment with a smile.

"Yeah, right." Alexander laughed, knowing better than to believe her. "Just accept that you're a raving success and try not to forget the little people on your way to the top."

"Alexander," Aaron Burr appeared, placing a hand on Alexander's shoulder. He glanced at Angelica and her family with disinterest. "Hi, Angelica. Mind if I steal him for a moment?"

"Oh, uh…no. Go ahead." Angelica quirked an eyebrow in surprise.

"Excuse me." Alexander grinned at them before following Aaron in the direction of his office.

"I thought they hated each other," Church mumbled as they entered the dining room, grabbing a glass of champagne off of the table.

"Me too." Angelica hummed, also taking a glass of champagne.

"What?" Johnny looked at the champagne with interest.

"Don't even think about it." Church cast Johnny a look of disapproval. "Why don't you go find the kids? That girl you like is probably here, if her dad's getting cozy with your uncle."

"Dad!" Johnny complained as he exited the room.

"I'm going to go say hi to Eliza," Angelica touched Church's arm. He looked over at her and nodded, a small smile on his face. He was growing more tolerant of these sort of parties.

Angelica separated herself from Church and wandered throughout the house that she used to live in. Eliza was likely trapped in the kitchen with some dull politician boring her with the details of his platforms. As she was walking by Alexander's officer, however, she heard him speaking with Aaron Burr.

"You really think that the Republican party would throw their weight behind a clean energy bill?" Alexander was asking dubiously. "With me as one of its authors?"

He'd been a political pariah since the Reynolds Affair.

"Sure," Aaron replied as though it were obvious. That alone made Angelica distrust everything that he was saying. "It's a great bill, long overdue."

"Angelica!" Eliza found Angelica in the hallway. She smiled at her brightly, not seeming to suspect that she might be eavesdropping on Alexander. "I'm so glad that you could make it!"

"You know that we wouldn't miss this for the world," Angelica replied, also smiling. "Although…can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Alex and Aaron Burr," Angelica nodded towards the office, casting Eliza an inquisitive smile. "Since when have they started working together nicely?"

"I don't know," Eliza admitted, laughing and shrugging. "One minute, he hated the man, and the next…well, Alexander has always wanted to try to get a clean energy bill through Congress. He thinks that Aaron can help him with it."

"He really trusts him to do that?" Angelica asked cynically.

"People are capable of being good," Eliza informed her, bumping her shoulder against Angelica's. "Anyway, this is a party - not work. Let's go find that husband of yours and have a glass of champagne."

"Sure," Angelica agreed, looking back at Alexander's office door warily before following Eliza back to the party.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Angelica, hi!"

"Eliza, it's six in the morning."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Eliza chirped. "I forgot that your house doesn't keep Alexander's crazy hours. I just got the letter and had to tell you!"

"Tell me what?" Angelica asked groggily.

"Philip got into Columbia!" Eliza squealed happily. "He's so excited. Alexander is over the moon."

"Is that Angelica?" Angelica could hear Alexander ask from a vague distance. "Let me talk to her!"

"Hang on," Eliza laughed. "We're all elated over here, as you can tell. But Philip has been wondering about Johnny…is he committed to the University of Virginia? I know that he was accepted by Columbia, and it would be so nice for Philip to have someone that he knows to dorm with…"

"He's already mailing his things to George's house," Angelica replied regretfully. "He's set on Virginia."

"I figured," Eliza said, also regretfully. "It was just worth a try."

"Speaking of worth a try - Alex and Aaron. How's that going?" Angelica was eager to change the subject. Johnny didn't like it when Church talked about college - it wasn't likely that he'd enjoy it any more coming from Angelica.

"Oh, you know," Eliza answered airily. "As well as can be expected with those working together. They're just finishing up the last few points, apparently."

"That was fast."

"You know Alexander," Eliza sighed, amusement in her tone. "He's just happy for the work. Since his debt plan finally got through, he's had trouble finding anyone willing to work with him on anything else. He'd called in all of his favors to get the debt plan through."

"Sounds about right," Angelica smiled.

"Oh, I've got to go," Eliza remarked distractedly. "Junior is in the file cabinet again. Bye, Angelica!"

"Bye," Angelica laughed as she hung up the phone.

* * *

Summer flew by quickly. Angelica rarely saw Alexander and Eliza - between Alexander writing the bill and Angelica helping Johnny move into his apartment in Virginia, their time was all used up. The absence of the Church family was felt by the Hamilton's.

Eliza noticed the difference. Rather, Philip noticed the difference, which broke Eliza's heart. Eliza was constantly calling the house, asking if Johnny had a weekend off, in which he could drive up to D.C. to spend some time with Philip. Whenever Angelica brought it up to Johnny, he always offered the same excuses. George couldn't spare him for that long; he was learning so much; he didn't want to pay for gas.

By the end of the summer, Philip had turned to Baby to fulfill his social requirements. Johnny, meanwhile, had already made dozens of friends in Virginia. He seemed much happier there than he had been in D.C.

He only returned home begrudgingly when Eliza hosted a barbeque to end the summer. Both Angelica and Church had insisted that he return; Eliza didn't ask much of her family. They owed her this much, at the least. In return, Angelica and Church allowed Johnny to bring one of his friends, a kid named George Eacker.

"Hey, Johnny!" Philip appeared thrilled to see Johnny as they walked through the gate into the Hamiltons' backyard. He reigned in his delight at the sight of George Eacker. "Who's this?"

"George Eacker," George stuck his hand out to Philip with a patronizing smile. "I'm working with John at Mount Vernon for the summer. You must be one of the cousins."

Philip looked from George to Johnny, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Yeah, uh, hi."

"You were right," George nudged Johnny in the ribs with his elbow, grinning. "He does look just like your uncle."

Philip's expression morphed into one of disdain. Angelica and Church exchanged uncomfortable expressions. Philip was sensitive about being likened to Alexander.

"Thanks," Philip said staunchly.

"I never said it was a compliment, my man." George laughed, patting Philip's shoulder. George turned to look at Johnny gaily. "Who else are you going to introduce me to today? Richard Nixon? Joe McCarthy?"

Oh, that wasn't too good.

Philip folded his arms across his chest, glowering at both George and Johnny. Johnny frowned at Philip apologetically. George just kept on smiling.

"It looks like Mr. Washington came to the party, too," Johnny hastily changed the subject. "We should go say hi."

"Yeah, you should." Philip agreed coldly. "Don't bother saying hi to my father. I'll send him your regards."

Johnny's face reddened. He looked at Angelica, obviously concerned that Philip would tell Alexander something that would make Alexander think less of him. Angelica shrugged, rolling her eyes in a gesture meant to suggest that Alexander would know better than to listen to Philip. Johnny didn't look placated.

"Okay…I'll see you later, Philip."

"Uh-huh."

"How about a drink?" Church cut the tension as Johnny and George walked away, looking at Angelica with a small smile.

"God, yes." Angelica agreed, following Church away from where Philip was silently stewing. They made their way through the yard, which was filled with politicians and family friends, until they reached a pitcher that Eliza had blessedly filled with gin and tonic.

Church had just finished pouring a drink for Angelica and himself when Angelica noticed Philip talking to Alexander. Philip was gesturing towards Johnny and George - who seemed happy talking among themselves on the swing set - and looked to be speaking a mile a minute. Alexander was looking at him thoughtfully, not saying a word.

"Uh-oh." Angelica accepted the drink from Church before nodding in Alexander's direction. "I think we have a parenting conference coming up."

"Great," Church took a long sip of his drink. "Why'd you let Johnny bring that asshole kid, again?"

"You know that he wouldn't have come otherwise." Angelica sighed, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "It was important to Eliza that he be here. I obviously didn't know how much of an asshole this kid is."

"Well," Church said loftily, looking around for an excuse. "I think that I'd better…"

"Don't you leave me to defend that kid," Angelica warned him.

"I need to speak to that lobbyist over there. It's very important to the company that we are on good terms."

"That's a woman from Eliza's book club."

"She might be a lobbyist."

"She's an engineer."

"Then we need a new engineer."

"Your company handles finances exclusively."

"We need someone to make better computer programs."

"That's a programmer."

"I need to go find a programmer," Church decided, determined to get away before Alexander asked for some explanation as to why George Eacker was ruining Philip's day. "If you'll excuse me."

"I'll get you for this."

"Don't I know it." Church threw a grin over his shoulder as he fled.

Alexander, meanwhile, had stopped speaking to Philip and was headed for Angelica. Judging from the expression on his face, any conversation that they were about to have was not going to be a very good one.

"Angelica," Alexander approached her, his expression stony. "Can I talk to you in the house for a moment?"

"Sure," Angelica quirked an eyebrow, pretending that she had no idea what he wanted to speak to her about.

Alexander nodded, walking towards the house. Angelica followed him reluctantly, casting Church a withering look when she passed him. He smiled at her innocently.

Alexander brought Angelica to his office, gesturing for her to sit on the couch. She obliged, taking a long sip of her gin and tonic. She hoped it would make this conversation a little bit more tolerable.

Alexander sighed, running a hand through his hair. Not a great start.

"Why is my son accusing your son of being a flaming asshole?"

"A what?" Angelica couldn't help but crook a smile.

Alexander smiled, too. "I'm not paraphrasing; he actually called your son a _flaming asshole_."

"Johnny brought one of his friends from Mount Vernon," Angelica shrugged and wrinkled her nose. "If anything, _that_ kid is the flaming asshole."

"Mm." Alexander agreed. "Philip was really looking forward to seeing Johnny today. He hasn't really been very social since Johnny left for Virginia. Eliza and I…we've been kind of worried about him. He doesn't go to parties anymore, hasn't been on a date in months, doesn't seem to be interested in anything his friends are doing…he only hangs out with Baby."

"It's a lot to adjust to; everyone moving away," Angelica suggested with a small smile.

"I guess, but I…" Alexander shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know how to deal with it. He doesn't seem very interested in my opinions on a healthy teenaged social life."

"Hm. Maybe that's because you don't have very good opinions on a healthy teenaged social life." Angelica teased.

Alexander laughed. "What are you talking about? I had a great social life when I was his age."

"Hm, but was it healthy?"

"Well," Alexander conceded, still smiling. "Maybe not, but that was your fault, mostly."

"My fault?" Angelica pretended to be insulted. Her laughter ruined the act. "How do you figure?"

"Come on, I was desperately in love with you!" Alexander reminded her, still smiling. "It's hard to have a healthy social life when you're adjusting your schedule to get even a glimpse at a girl you know you can't have. You remember all of those ridiculous rallies I invited you to…those were just an excuse to hold your hand when we ran away from the police."

"No, they weren't." Angelica protested, her heart leaping up into her throat. She tried to laugh airily, not wanting to make too much of the conversation. "You cared about those issues."

"I think I cared about you more." Alexander looked down at the ground thoughtfully. His mouth was curved up into a thoughtful smile. "Annie…can I call you Annie again?"

"You can call me Annie again," Angelica assented, feeling lighter and lighter with each passing moment. She had missed the way that Alexander called her "Annie," even if she had been the one to disallow it in the first place.

"Annie," Alexander savored each letter. "Do you ever think about high school?"

"I try not to," She lied with a small smile.

"I mean, really." Alexander shook his head. He always knew when she was lying. "Do you ever think that maybe, if we'd just done one or two things differently, things might've turned out…"

"Alex," Angelica warned him. She couldn't bear to think about whether or not life might've been better for her.

"Annie," Alexander never let Angelica stop him. "You know that despite all of - everything - I still do lo -"

"Here we go!" Johnny ran past the office door with a toddler - one of Eliza's friends' kids - on his back. George Eacker sauntered after him with an amused expression on his face. The sound of the toddler's laughter filled the hallways.

Angelica turned to look at Alexander again, smiling. "Let's just enjoy what we have, Alex. Life's too short, you know?"

She stood up from the couch and followed the sound of the laughter.

 **Rewind**

Alexander and Angelica were forced to plan (and pay for) Aaron's funeral. They couldn't very well let him have an unmarked grave, not after he told them that they were family. They invited all of the friends that they could round up, though there weren't very many.

Alexander was somber. Angelica could hardly get a word out of him. He ignored Thomas, who had asked to come and say a few words on the toxicity of the political atmosphere surrounding D.C. He stared pointedly at the ground during Angelica's speech on mental health. No one knew Aaron enough to give any kind of testament to his life or his accomplishments. They were forced to speak on the issues surrounding his premature death.

From that point forward, Alexander was more subdued within the course of his campaign. He did not pick up a pen to spew hatred in Thomas' direction – he felt that it was his pen that had killed Aaron Burr. He only commented on the issues, and he only did so civilly.

Eliza cut her stay short and returned to Delaware to run her shelter. Both Angelica and Alexander knew that it wasn't simply that she needed to get back to work – she had dozens of employees happy to do her bidding. She didn't want to spend time with Angelica and Alexander, entertaining the idea that they might be responsible for someone's death.

"We did it," Alexander told Angelica one night, both of them wide awake at 3a.m. There were bags under both of their eyes. "Or, _I_ did it, anyway. I'd rather it be us, though. I'd rather you be damned alongside me."

"Stop talking like that," Angelica instructed him briskly, pretending to read a book that she'd been using as a prop for several nights now. "Aaron made a choice. We can't hold ourselves responsible for his own choices."

"I ruined his life." Alexander protested disgustedly. "And for what? Cheap political gain? That's exactly what I've spoken out against my whole life. I didn't need to write that damned letter. I had nothing to gain from it. I was acting out of hatred. Aaron shouldn't have died. I should have."

Angelica closed the book that she hadn't been reading. It was a symbolically dramatic gesture. "You wouldn't be saying any of this if Aaron were still alive. You know as well as I do that he _blackmailed_ us. We might not be innocent, but neither was he. Don't make him a martyr just because he died first."

Alexander looked her over carefully. Angelica didn't like it when he scrutinized her this way. She squirmed under his gaze.

"You feel guilty, too." He accused her, like he could see it plain as day. "He loved us. You, in particular. He might not have shown it well, but he did love us, Angelica. We were his emergency contacts for Christ's sake. We were all that he had in his awful life."

Angelica's lips wobbled. She tried to tighten them. "He made a choice. He could have called us, he could have…"

"He thought that he killed our baby, Annie!" Alexander snapped. "What was he supposed to do? Call and beg us to make him feel better?"

" _Yes_!" Angelica answered, tears stinging her eyes. "What he did was so selfish, so spiteful so…so _Aaron_. He should have called us and asked to work things out. He didn't have to be so dramatic about it all."

"Well, he always did tend towards the dramatics." Alexander ventured a very small, amused smile.

"He could put the Cirque du Solei out of business." Angelica sniffled, folding her arms across her chest despite the comforter's mass imposing itself upon her lap.

Alexander chuckled, putting an arm around Angelica. Angelica allowed herself to be crowded against his chest.

"We should get some sleep," Angelica suggested, patting Alexander's chest softly. "You have to give your speech at the children's hospital tomorrow morning. It would scare the children if you showed up looking like a ghost."

Alexander let out a loud sigh, releasing Angelica from his tight hold. "I suppose you're right. I'll see what I can do. Goodnight, Annie."

"Goodnight, Alex."

* * *

Angelica no longer worried about Alexander's behavior when reminded that they had no child of their own, but oh, god, it still wrenched her heart.

At the children's hospital, Alexander was expected to give a speech to a bunch of donors at an overly-lavish brunch. That was fine. That was well-within the campaign that Angelica had set him up to run. What she hadn't expected was that the hospital would bring out a few of their cuter and healthier patients to personally thank Alexander for making his speech on their behalf.

Alexander held one of the younger children, a little boy with bleached blond hair and sparkling gray eyes, up to the microphone while he struggled through his obviously-rehearsed thank-you.

Alexander smiled at the little boy when he was looking. When he wasn't looking, though, Angelica saw his smile fall. It turned into a look of yearning. Nothing inappropriate, of course, simply a vision of what his life might have looked like if he had a boy of his one. One with jet black hair, like his mother's. One with lilac eyes, like his father's. One who bossed the other kids around, but squirmed away from the attention of adults.

When it was time for Alexander to relinquish the boy, to hand back a delusion itself, his eyes seemed hollower than they had in the morning. When he returned to Angelica, he was only a shell of himself.

Angelica pretended not to notice as she ushered him towards the door.

At home, Alexander sat in his office, still very out of sorts. Angelica paced the floors, thinking on all of the ways that she had failed Alexander. She had ruined their first real chance at a child – though she still believed that it had been the right thing to do – she had ruined their second child for them by allowing someone else to risk fathering it, and she had pushed Alexander towards a presidency that she still wasn't certain that he actually wanted. A presidency that may have killed Aaron Burr.

It suddenly dawned on Angelica that she should leave. That Alexander might be better off without her, after all. He would find someone else to love – there was no shortage of young women gazing at him with starry eyes. Perhaps even Eliza.

Angelica found herself in her bedroom without recalling giving her body the command to move. She hauled her suitcase out of the closet. It still had some clothes in it from their last travel. Some were his, some were hers. Only, this time, Alexander would not be going with her. She removed his clothes with the care and precision of a surgeon, smiling down at his folded shirts grimly.

She then turned away, in search of toiletries. If she looked at Alexander's things much longer, she would be overcome with nostalgia and would stay for the sake of staying. She would need a toothbrush, her facewash, some shampoo and conditioner, and, of course, a few tampons…

Angelica's hands lingered over her tampons, her eyebrows furrowed.


	30. Chapter 30

"What the fuck is this word, Quincy?" Angelica glowered down at the script as the makeup stylist just about gouged her eye out.

"Group think?" Quincy looked at Angelica, surprised.

Angelica rolled her eyes. The makeup stylist groaned and grabbed for a damp cloth to wipe away whatever mess Angelica had created. "I know what each individual word means, but what does it mean when you put them together? Bear in mind, I didn't go to business school."

"Oh, right, of course." Quincy removed the cap of his pen with his mouth as he took the script from Angelica's hands. "Let me put in a definition right here…your viewers probably won't know what it means, either."

Angelica's phone rang. Angelica tried to turn her head to look at it, but the makeup stylist cast her a sharp look meant to discourage the movement. Begrudgingly, Angelica settled back in her chair.

"Angelica Schuyler's phone," Quincy answered her phone for her. Angelica watched his facial expression for any kind of indication of who it might've been. His eyebrows furrowed together as he put his hand over the speaker of the phone. He looked at Angelica. "It's your father."

"Really?" Angelica tried to sit up again. The makeup stylist pushed her back into place. "What's he calling about?"

"Can I ask what this is in regard to?" Quincy asked into the phone. His face fell. He looked at Angelica again. "He said that it's an emergency."

Angelica was out of the chair in a second. Eyeliner streaked across her face like a tiger stripe. She snatched her cell phone from Quincy's hand. "Dad?"

"Angelica," Mr. Schuyler sounded frantic. That in itself was enough to cause Angelica to totally fall apart. "Your mother and I are on our way to the hospital."

"What?" Angelica began pacing the crowded room. "Is she okay? Is it the smoking? I've talked to her about trying to quit. Where are you? Have you spoken to your doctor yet? Tell them that money is no object. I'll pay whatever it takes."

"It's not your mom, sweetie." Mr. Schuyler told her grimly. "It's…Philip."

"Philip?" Angelica asked in surprise. "What happened?"

"He was shot."

"Shot?" Angelica echoed incredulously. "Oh, my god. Is he okay? Quincy, get my coat!"

"Angelica," Mr. Schuyler interjected. "The doctors aren't…by the time you get here, he'd be…he's…not going to make it."

"What?" Angelica whispered.

"There's no point in you leaving work," Mr. Schuyler continued, his tone disheartening by the moment. "The doctors don't think he'll make it beyond twenty minutes."

"I have to try," Angelica protested, her eyes watering. "What happened to him? How did he get shot?"

"Angelica," Mr. Schuyler said softly. "I will explain everything to you later, but right now, I need to be with my grandson."

"Right, of course." Angelica tried to speak around the lump in her throat. "Tell him I love him, will you, Dad? Please?"

"Of course. I love you, Angelica."

"I love you too, Dad."

"Who got shot?" Quincy inquired as Angelica hung up the phone. Bless his heart, he already had her coat in his arms at the ready. "Should I find someone to stand in for your newscast?"

"No…" Angelica felt hazy. "Um, no. It's…Philip. You know Philip, my nephew. My dad says there isn't enough time, so even if I left now…"

She couldn't wrap her mind around the situation.

"We're on in five!" Angelica's boss came over the intercom.

"Are you sure?" Quincy asked uncertainly. "If you're staying, we have to get you to the stage. Are you going to be okay to broadcast? Have you read through all of the changes on your script? I added definitions to some of the more jargon-y words, but I don't…"

"I'll be okay." Angelica stumbled the familiar route towards the stage, accepting the script from Quincy. She ignored the usual greetings from the crew members around her. She ignored Quincy's looks of concern. All she could think of was poor Philip, laying terrified in some hospital on the other side of the city.

* * *

At the end of her broadcast, Angelica stumbled back to her dressing room. She had no idea what she'd said onscreen. She didn't even know that she said anything at all. The concerned looks that Quincy was casting her didn't instill much confidence in the broadcast she'd just given.

Church was waiting in her dressing room for her. He had suitcases. He told her that they were going to the Hamilton's house to watch the kids while Eliza and Alexander figured out what to do. He told Angelica exactly what had happened without her even asking. Philip had been at a day drink in Columbia, celebrating his first semester grades. He was going to make straight A's. George Eacker had also been at the party. Philip had exchanged uncivil words with George Eacker throughout the course of the party, his inhibitions lowered by the alcohol he'd consumed. At the height of the argument, Philip had turned around to slam his red solo cup on the party thrower's expensive desk to make his point. George Eacker had apparently thought that he was reaching for an antique pistol on the desk and had clambered for another antique gun on a bookshelf and had shot Philip without a second thought. Philip was alone at the hospital for twenty minutes before Alexander arrived. It was another ten minutes before Eliza made it. Mr. and Mrs. Schuyler arrived fifteen minutes after that. Philip died two hours after arriving at the hospital. His last words were an apology to Eliza.

Angelica wanted to go see Alexander and Eliza. They were staying at the hotel near the hospital while they tried to make the necessary arrangements. She knew, however, that she would be more use to them at their house, with the kids. No one had told the kids what happened yet.

"Uncle Church, Aunt Angelica!" Junior answered the door, smiling at the sight of them. Baby sat on a chair in the distance, looking at them warily.

"Where are our parents?" She asked.

"They're going to be gone for a few days," Church replied as cheerfully as he could manage. "We're going to be staying with you while they're gone."

"Why are they gone?" Baby wasn't like Junior - she required explanation. She was constantly asking adults severe questions that a minor had no business asking. Both Church and Angelica squirmed under her scrutinous gaze.

"They're on a vacation." Church lied. "Of sorts."

"Why didn't they tell us that this vacation was happening before they left?" Baby asked cynically, setting the book that she'd been reading aside and approaching the doorway with folded arms. Church cleared his throat and stepped past Junior into the house. Angelica followed him apprehensively.

"This just sort of happened," Church replied.

"Things don't "just sort of happen" to my parents," Baby persisted, looking Church over. "Is it my mom? Did something happen to the baby?"

"What baby?" Angelica asked without realizing that she was speaking.

"She's having a baby," Baby responded matter-of-factly. "Didn't they tell you?"

"The baby is fine." Church sighed. He was growing impatient with the line of questioning. Adults needed time to grieve, too. Baby was testing his capacity to grieve while being considerate. "Now, come on. Whose done their homework?"

"It's Saturday." Baby's eyes narrowed.

"You don't have homework over the weekend?" Church was better at being an authority figure than Angelica when it came to kids.

"We don't have to do our homework until Sunday." Baby told him. "Mom said."

"Your mom's not here. We're in charge, and we say that it's homework time." Church gestured towards Baby's backpack, which was lying on the couch in the living room. "Now."

Baby stared at Church, searching his face for an indication of weakness. Angelica didn't know where this girl got her sense of severity from. Both Alexander and Eliza were always all smiles around their children. When Church didn't waver, she let out a sigh and trudged into the living room to get her backpack.

"Do you have homework?" Angelica asked Junior, mostly for the sake of breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over the house.

"No," Junior shook his head, casting a smug look back in Baby's direction. "We had a field trip yesterday, so there's no homework. We went to see the monuments. Are we going to go on vacation, too? When are they going to call home? Do you think that Mom would get me something at the gift shop if I asked? I don't want just a postcard."

"Why don't we play a game?" Church interjected, managing to sound cheerful. Angelica looked at him in surprise. He was so much better at handling this than she was. "Do you still have your dad's Nintendo 64 in your basement?"

"Yeah," Junior grinned. When he smiled this wide, Angelica could see where one of his baby teeth had fallen out. He wore the gap like a badge of honor. "Do you know how to play Mario Kart?"

"I do," Church replied patiently. "C'mon, let's see if I can still play as well as I used to."

* * *

Church was so good with the kids. Though Baby gave both him and Angelica trouble at every turn, Church remained patient. He kept them busy with games, outings, and projects. He didn't give them time to wonder might be wrong, or to look to the news for any indication of what might have happened.

But eventually, Alexander and Eliza had to come home to face their demons. After making funeral arrangements without burdening the children with the tragedy, Alexander called Angelica to tell her that they would be home in a few hours' time. They wanted Angelica and Church to remain while they told the children. He worried especially about how Baby would react. She and Philip had been so close.

"Dad!" Junior heard the door creak open first. A smile cracked across his face. He charged up the stairs towards the foyer. Baby was right at his heels, though she was not smiling. Angelica and Church exchanged grim expressions before following after the children.

Both Alexander and Eliza looked terrible. There were bags under their eyes. Their skin was sallow. Their eyes were red. Neither of them were smiling.

The children noticed right away.

"Mama?" Baby's voice shook. "What's wrong?"

"Let's talk in the living room," Alexander's voice was hoarse. He didn't even try to fake a smile for the sake of the children. He just gestured towards the living room dully.

Baby took Junior's hand in hers and led him to the living room, looking around at all of the adults with nothing shy of complete terror. Angelica looked away, unable to give Baby the reassurance that she was looking for. Church took Angelica's hand in his and squeezed it gently.

"Kids," Alexander tried to start, his voice wobbling as he took his place by Eliza at the front of the living room. Baby and Junior sat on the couch, staring up at their parents with wide eyes. "Your mother and I have been away, as I'm sure you noticed. We've, uh, been trying to…"

His eyes were watering. He was looking down at his feet and fidgeting with his hand. Angelica was desperate to wrench her hand out of Church's and go to Alexander. He needed her.

Eliza stepped up, taking Alexander's hand and nodding at him slightly. Angelica swallowed hard. Maybe he didn't need her.

"This is about Philip," Eliza took over, her voice stronger than Alexander's.

"What about Philip?" Baby demanded uneasily, her posture going rigid.

"He was at a party," Alexander tried to explain. "When he got into a fight with someone that he should not have. The doctors did everything that they could, but…"

"But?" Baby's voice went up an octave.

"Honey," Eliza looked at Baby, pleading with her to understand. Neither of them wanted to say it out loud.

"What's going on?" Junior looked around nervously.

"Philip is dead." Alexander bit the bullet. His eyes were squeezed shut as he spoke.

"What?" Junior asked in horror.

Baby screamed.

This wasn't a theatrical type of screaming that was razor-sharp and lasted approximately thirty seconds. This was a life-altering, wounded-animal type of scream. This was a gravel-toned, heart-splintering scream that just went on endlessly.

Angelica couldn't take it. Perhaps that made her a bad person. Perhaps it just meant that she was too emotionally vulnerable to tolerate someone else's pain. Whatever it was, it caused her to walk down the hall and right out the front door. She could still hear the screaming from outside.

"Angie," Church followed her out of the house. Angelica expected him to look annoyed with her, annoyed that she could not tolerate the pain being endured by the Hamilton family. To her surprise, he only looked worried. Worried about her. "They're…ah…they're calling a doctor."

"For Baby?" Angelica asked, her eyes welling up. "But she's okay…I mean, she will be okay, won't she?"

"I don't know," Church shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around Angelica's shoulders. She hadn't realized that it was cold outside until she felt the warmth of his coat. "The way that she's behaving…I mean, grief is normal, but this is something else."

"I wish we hadn't come here," Angelica confessed, tears spilling out of her eyes. "I know that makes me a bad person. I know that they actually needed us, for once, but I can't…stand this."

"Okay," Church soothed her, putting an arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer. He seemed to radiate warmth. "It's okay."

"Mr. Hamilton, Mrs. Hamilton?" A man pulled into the driveway and hopped out of the car, approaching Angelica and Church briskly. "Where is your daughter?"

"Oh, no, we're…uh…" Church looked over his shoulder at the front door. "They're in the house. Please."

The man nodded at Church before rushing through the door. The small bag he carried with him indicated that he was the doctor.

"Let's go home." Church suggested, squeezing Angelica's shoulder. "I think Alexander and Eliza can take things from here."

Angelica nodded numbly.

Church smiled at her patiently before guiding her towards the car.

* * *

"She had to be hospitalized," Angelica called Eliza the next day. Eliza did not reproach Angelica for leaving without saying goodbye. On the contrary, she acted as though Angelica had done her family a favor; given them privacy to deal with Baby's breakdown. "Alexander is beside himself. He hasn't left her room since she was admitted. Her doctors keep trying to broach the idea of institutionalizing her, but I've read stories about how inhumane those places are…"

Angelica clucked her tongue, shaking her head. "That's terrible. The doctors don't think that she'll be able to cope with the death on her own? I mean, the news was obviously startling to her, but given some time to think about it…"

"Apparently she's always been a bit…" Eliza paused, letting out a sigh. "Oh, I don't remember the word that the doctor used. Her behaviors have never been normal - that's what they're telling us. She's antisocial for a girl of her age, she doesn't handle change well…she's always needed help. We just didn't know it until it reached this magnitude."

"I am so sorry," Angelica murmured, shaking her head again.

"Please, don't be," Eliza urged her. "You and John were so great throughout these past few days. I don't know if Alexander or I could have survived this any other way."

"We're happy to do all that we can for you," Angelica responded. "And obviously, let us know if there's anything else that we can do."

"I appreciate it," Eliza had a way of sounding gracious even when her life was falling apart. Angelica envied her for that. "And, of course, let me know if there is anything that I can do for you, as well. I imagine that telling Johnny was difficult."

"Oh, ah…"

"Have you not told him yet?"

"We didn't want to tell him over the phone," Angelica replied, frowning. "We were going to go to Virginia to tell him eventually. To be honest, I think that Church has been putting it off. He's going to be crushed."

"Of course," Eliza sympathized. "Please send our love when you do tell him."

"Thank you," Angelica was struggling to maintain a diplomatic tone. She wanted to be done with talking about Philip's death. She wanted to stop visualizing the naughty eight-year-old version of Philip running around the White House whenever anyone mentioned him. "Anyway, I think that I had better go. Work has been piling up."

"Right," Eliza said, crestfallen. "Okay, well, when your workload lightens a little bit, please consider coming over for dinner one night. Your company always does such good things for Alexander's spirits."

"Will do," Angelica lied, forcing herself to smile despite the fact that there was no one around to watch her. "I love you, honey."

"I love you, too," Eliza responded automatically.

Angelica hung up the phone, her heart sinking to the bottom of her feet.

 **Rewind**

"Annie, I'm nervous." Alexander looked at himself in the mirror critically, adjusting his already-perfect tie.

"Don't be." Angelica insisted, returning the tie to its original state. "You're going to be fine. You were born to debate."

"It's just that it's the first debate since…" Alexander frowned, glancing down at his shoes. Angelica could see from the way that his fingers twitched and his knees bent that he was going to busy himself with tying and untying them until she shooed him out the door.

Angelica grabbed his jaw in her hands and forced him to look at her. She smiled kindly. "You're going to be great."

"Why can't you come with me?" Alexander asked softly.

"I can't reschedule this appointment," Angelica reminded him for the umpteenth time, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips before grabbing her purse off of its hanger near the front door. "I'll go straight from the appointment to the studio, I promise."

Alexander looked down at her, his eyes searching. "And we'll have dinner afterward, no matter what?"

It had become something of a tradition for them to go out to dinner following Alexander's debates. Alexander could never eat before a debate – nerves gave him a terrible stomach ache – but he was always starving afterward. So, instead of watching and critiquing the debate that they could not do anything about, they went out for dinner and let Thomas drive himself crazy with the words that he said.

"No matter what," Angelica promised him, smiling as they approached their respective cars. "I made reservations for ten. You should be done by then."

"I certainly hope so," Alexander tried to smile.

"Do well," Angelica urged him. "Don't say anything stupid. Nothing that I wouldn't say, myself. Not even if Thomas says something awful."

Alexander shrugged with a smile. "I'll do my best."

"Do better than that." Angelica knew what Alexander's best entailed.

"Yes, ma'am." Alexander chuckled.

"Good." Angelica climbed into the passenger's seat with a smile. "I'll see you in a little while."

"In a little while." Alexander agreed with a nod of the head.

* * *

"Alex!" Angelica burst through the doors of the TV studio and barreled past the live audience. She didn't glance back to see if the red light was on or off – it didn't matter to her. Debates were always filmed days in advance. The news station paid enough for their editors – they could edit out this little interruption. It couldn't wait.

Both Alexander and Thomas stopped squabbling and watched her curiously. Angelica couldn't tell who had been trying to answer a question – that didn't matter to her, either. They could re-ask the question once Angelica had spoken with him.

"Annie?" Alexander's voice was quiet with surprise, but Angelica saw his lips move to form her name, as familiar as the smell of one's childhood home.

"I'm pregnant!" She had been screaming this in her head as she ran from the parking lot to the studio. It sounded infinitely better when said out loud. "Alex, I'm pregnant!"

Alexander's face morphed into a look of total disbelief as Angelica reached the stage. He caught her in a hug, his arms crushing her body against his. Angelica could feel tears staining Alexander's shirt. She wasn't sure whether they were hers, or his.

"Are you really?" Alexander pulled Angelica away from him, holding her at arm's length. His gaze was critical, ready to discredit her words at the drop of a hat. "This isn't some political trick, or…or…"

Angelica nodded, wiping the tears that smudged her mascara.

Alexander pulled her into a crushing hug once again.

"Oh, my god," Judging from the thickness to his voice, he was fighting back tears.

Angelica felt a hand squeeze her shoulder; a hand that could not have possibly been Alexander's. His hands were both around her waist, holding her close. Angelica cracked open one of her eyes and saw Thomas' hand on her shoulder. She flicked her eyes upwards to hone in on his face. He was smiling at her grimly.

"Congratulations." He said earnestly.

He dropped his hand as his lips dropped the word, slinking off stage towards the exit.

"Mr. Jefferson!" Angelica could hear the voice of an indignant producer. "Where are you going? The debate isn't over yet!"

Angelica pulled away from Alexander just enough to see Thomas turn around. He afforded the producer the same grim smile that he had given her just seconds ago.

"I'm going home, sir," Thomas answered, as though it were the most obvious thing in the entire world. "And I suggest that you all do the same. The elections don't matter anymore – can't you see that? Hamilton will win. Hamilton always wins."

"Did he just…" The producer turned around to look at a fellow employee incredulously. "Did he just _resign_?"

"Mr. Hamilton!" Another impatient voice threatened to ruin their moment. Alexander heaved out a shaky sigh and kissed Angelica's forehead before detangling himself from her. "Will you _please_ allow this broadcast to resume? Viewers have doubled since your wife's arrival – we will lose them if we don't go off of commercial break now."

Angelica looked up at Alexander with wide eyes. She then turned to look at the producer with a mixture of embarrassment and surprise. "It's a _live_ broadcast?"

"Of course it's a live broadcast!" The producer was hopping mad. "The last debate is always a live broadcast. Didn't you read any of the emails that we sent you?"

"I don't recommend you speak to my wife that way a second time," Alexander puffed out his chest to appear intimidating. Angelica would have laughed, had she not been so fantastically in love with him in that moment.

"Can we _please_ get on with the broadcast?" The producer took to appealing to Alexander. Foolish man.

Alexander looked at Angelica in askance.

"Go," Angelica smiled as a sniffle domesticated her words. "Be magnificent."

Alexander Hamilton did not need to be told twice.

* * *

"You should have accepted the invitation to the Federalists' party." Angelica chastised Alexander as she straightened the collar of his shirt. She afforded him an affectionate smile. She was secretly pleased with him for rejecting the invitation weeks earlier.

"I don't like those people," Alexander argued, dropping to his knees the moment that Angelica was finished with his collar. He set to work helping her into her shoes, just as he had every morning since Angelica's stomach had started to grow large enough to obscure her feet somewhat. She was perfectly capable of slipping the shoes on herself, but Alexander insisted every time. Angelica was happy to oblige him.

"You don't like these people, either." Angelica reminded him as he rose to his feet once more.

"I like Eliza," Alexander argued, opening the bedroom door for her. Angelica smiled as she crossed the threshold and approached the stairs. She had to get to the kitchen to make sure that all of the food was prepared. "And your mother is…she likes me."

"I heard that!" Mrs. Schuyler cawed from the kitchen downstairs.

Angelica smirked at Alexander pointedly.

"When did you get here, Catherine?" Alexander chuckled, descending the stairs behind Angelica. Mrs. Schuyler was waiting at the bottom, smiling up at him with pseudo-sternness.

"I let her in!" Eliza chimed from the kitchen. "I needed some help with the h'orderves."

"H'orderves?" Angelica scampered into the kitchen, glancing over her shoulder at Alexander once she caught a glimpse of the mess that the production was turning into. "What happened to finger sandwiches?"

"I burned the bread," Eliza answered guiltily, gesturing to a blackened loaf in the trash can.

"H'orderves sound perfect," Alexander assured Eliza with a grin. "Annie is just determined to find fault with the party so that she has an excuse to sit and watch TV undisturbed."

"It's election day!" Angelica whined. "We shouldn't be sitting at a party opening presents, we should be watching the numbers. You should be practicing the speech you're going to give when you win. You should really have gone to the Federalists' party so that you could –"

"Annie," Alexander groaned, taking hold of Angelica's shoulders and smiling down at her. "This is exactly why we are having the baby shower on election day. We need a break from all of this election stuff. _You_ need a break from election stuff."

"The father isn't supposed to attend the baby shower." Mrs. Schuyler sniffed as she hung up some garland that Eliza had brought with her.

"He insisted." Angelica reminded her mother, her voice muffled by the cupcake she had swiped from the counter and taken a massive bite of. She smiled at Alexander apologetically before following her mother about the living room. "It's for the best, really. If he weren't going, I certainly wouldn't be."

"Hey!" Eliza squealed from the kitchen. "I'm throwing this baby shower. You had better come!"

"She's only kidding," Angelica could hear Alexander placate Eliza. "She just doesn't want anyone knowing that she's excited, too. She's afraid that it might humanize her."

"Humans don't win elections." Angelica bit back playfully.

"Enough election talk." Alexander groaned, entering the living room and plopping down on the couch that Mrs. Schuyler had just finished fluffing. Her eyes narrowed as she busied herself with the couch on the opposite side of the room. "Whatever happens, happens."

"You don't mean that." Angelica accused him, folding her arms and shaking her head. "You're going to be checking the polls on your phone whenever I'm not looking."

"Aha, you're wrong there." Alexander snapped his fingers and pointed at her triumphantly. "You're always looking – I never assume otherwise."

There was a knock on the door. Alexander looked in its direction lazily. Angelica frowned and looked around for an escape route. Mrs. Schuyler scowled at them both, most likely because neither seemed to be even considering answering the door.

"I'll get it." Eliza huffed, emerging from the kitchen with flour smudged across her face. "But it's on you two if I burn the h'orderves like I burnt the bread."

"You ready?" Alexander asked Angelica with a grin.

"No." Angelica was still looking for her escape route.

A chuckle rumbled through Alexander's chest. "I didn't think so. Give me your phone."

"What?" Angelica's hand instinctively flew into her pocket to grip her phone.

Alexander sighed, heaving himself off of the sofa and approaching Angelica. He held his hand out with a knowing look. "Your phone. You're my pregnant wife tonight, Annie, not my campaign manager. Win or lose, we are going to enjoy today as a family."

* * *

"Are you warm enough?" Alexander asked Angelica for what might have been the thousandth time within the hour. He rubbed her knee as the limo moved forward, through the usually bustling streets of Washington D.C. "I asked them to keep the car warmer, but they -"

"Alex," Angelica rolled her eyes, placing her hand over his to keep it still. "I'm fine."

It was his inauguration day and it was obvious that he was apprehensive about it. He was fussing over Angelica by way of soothing himself – something that made Angelica nervous. So there they were, two extremely nervous adults on their way to assure the country that they felt confident that Alexander could run the country for the next four years.

A sudden chill struck Angelica. A _damp_ chill. She jumped and looked down at her lap in surprise. Had Alexander spilled his drink? Where had he even _gotten_ a drink?

"Annie?" Alexander looked over at her inquisitively.

"Where did you get a drink?" Angelica was too cold to think of a better way to articulate her confusion.

"What are you –" Alexander looked down at the small puddle that Angelica had scooted away from. His eyes widened. "Oh, my god. Annie, did your water just break?"

"What? No. That's not a real thing." Angelica's eyebrows furrowed. Even if Alexander was right, she was unwilling to believe so. It was Alexander's inauguration. It was _not_ the time for the baby to come and steal the show. "That only happens to, like, a handful of women."

"Annie, you are sitting in a puddle of human goo." Alexander reminded her, gesturing to the stain in the limo seat that they would definitely have to pay for.

"Maybe I peed myself." Angelica sniffed. She never thought that she would use such a thing as an argument before.

"Angelica, you did not pee yourself, you are going into labor," Alexander responded firmly. He rapped on the partition between them and the driver. "Hey, buddy? We need to take a little detour. My wife's just gone into labor."

"Alex!" Angelica protested, as though Alexander had just told the driver some huge secret. "We are going to your inauguration. This can wait."

"It absolutely _cannot_ wait." Alexander looked at her like she had lost her mind. "You're having a _baby_."

"You always hear about women who were in labor for days on end," Angelica reminded him with a wave of the hand. "That could be me. A few more hours won't hurt anything."

"Buddy, the hospital." Alexander rapped on the partition again.

"Alex, _no_." Angelica hissed.

"Which hospital, sir?" The driver asked confusedly, rolling down the window. "Secret service will need to clear it."

"Oh, my god." Angelica covered her face, red with embarrassment.

"Whichever one is closest," Alexander answered, not taking his eyes off of Angelica. "And could we have the radio back here, please?"

"Yes, sir." The driver rolled the partition up once more. Angelica could hear the mumble of his voice as he conveyed the message to the secret service that the procession would be taking a detour.

 _"It appears that Alexander Hamilton's car is no longer on course for the swear-in. It appears that it is turning down Charles Street. It is unclear at this time whether the decision to take an alternative route is linked to a security issue or a change in the traffic pattern…"_

Angelica groaned, slumping down in her seat. "Why are you making me listen to this? Is this your way of shaming me for going into labor on the most important day of your career? Because believe me – no one feels worse about it than me."

"No one is shaming you, Annie." Alexander huffed, rolling his eyes. "I just don't want those dumbasses broadcasting where we're going to everyone in the whole goddamn world. I don't want reporters waiting at the hospital when we get there."

Angelica's phone started ringing. Alexander's had been ringing since the limo turned off its projected course. Both of them glanced over at it, expecting it to be one of the politicians running the ceremony, demanding to know where they were going. It was not. It was Eliza.

"Betsey, hey." Alexander put Eliza on speaker phone, grinning at Angelica as he spoke.

"Where are you guys going?" Eliza demanded anxiously. "Is something wrong? Is Angelica okay? Is the baby…?"

"Everyone is fine." Alexander's voice was soothing. "Annie's just gone into labor, so we're going to the hospital."

"He's trying to skip his swearing-in ceremony," Angelica complained.

"Annie," Alexander's voice firmed up. He gave her a look that made her wish she hadn't said anything at all. "We're not taking any risks with this one."

Angelica pursed her lips and slumped down further in her seat.

"Has she really gone into labor?" Eliza whispered excitedly. She was likely trying to keep the politicians surrounding her from finding out. "Right now? What hospital are you going to? Do you think that I could get off of the balcony to join you two? Are people allowed off of the balcony before you show up?"

" _Mr. Hamilton's sister-in-law appears to be trying to leave the ceremony. She is talking on the phone while doing so – perhaps speaking to Mr. Hamilton or his wife? I tell you, John, I have never seen anything like this in my life. Do we have any word on where Mr. Hamilton is going, yet?"_

Angelica sighed and looked out the window at the crowds of people cheering at their limo.

"I'll ask Secret Service to escort you to the hospital," Alexander answered, running a hand through his hair as he looked out the window at the masses. "Try to be subtle, okay? You're attracting a lot of attention right now. We don't want people flocking to the hospital if we can help it."

"Okay," Eliza agreed immediately.

 _"Mr. Hamilton's sister-in-law has returned to her seat. Perhaps just a moment of excitement over the proceedings, Evan."_ The broadcaster said. " _Although, it doesn't appear that Mr. Hamilton is going to arrive anytime soon. Has there ever been a recorded incident of a president missing his own swearing-in ceremony before?"_

 _"I can't say that there is, John."_

"Alright, Betsey, I need to let you go." Alexander shifted in his seat as the limo reached the hospital. "We're here. Secret Service will take you when there's a chance, okay?"

"Should I tell Mama and Papa to come with me?" Eliza inquired.

Alexander turned to look at Angelica questioningly.

Angelica just shrugged. She felt far removed from the whole situation, as it were.

"I'll leave that up to you," Alexander said, eying Angelica as he spoke. "Uh, but in the meantime, we're here. We'll see you when you get here, okay?"

"Okay." Eliza's voice was vibrating with excitement. "Good luck, Angie! I love you. All three of you."

"We love you too." Alexander's voice was warmer when he said those words. Had Angelica not been overwhelmed with anxiety and guilt, she might have been jealous. "Bye, Betsey."

"Bye, Alexander." Eliza's voice reached the same level of warmth as Alexander's.

Angelica felt overheated.

"Okay, Annie." Alexander opened the door before the Secret Service could. Angelica could tell straight away that Secret Service did not like that one bit. They were in for a different kind of president with Alexander. He was not one who liked to be babysat. "You ready?"

"No," Angelica answered with a small smile, wincing as a round of contractions took hold of her lower body. "But I don't think he cares about that much."

* * *

He was beautiful. More importantly, he was _healthy_.

Though he was born perfectly healthy, with all of his fingers and toes, he and Angelica were required to stay in the hospital for a few nights, just to make sure. Alexander wanted to stay in the hospital with her, but he was the president. He was no longer able to go or stay where he wanted.

So he and Angelica agreed; he would go to his swearing-in ceremony, which had been postponed by a day, while Angelica remained in the hospital and introduced herself to their new baby boy.

"They're going to ask me for a name," Alexander remarked as he sat on the edge of Angelica's bed, never taking his eyes off of the baby in his arms.

"Hm." Angelica hummed, allowing her eyes to droop closed. She was exhausted. "The nurse has been asking me for a name, too. I guess we'd better commit to one. Are we still set on Philip?"

"Actually…" Alexander smiled sheepishly as the baby grabbed hold of his index finger. "I was thinking about something different."

"Oh?"

Alexander finally tore his eyes off of the baby long enough to deliver Angelica a crooked smile. "I think you'll like it."

* * *

"President Hamilton! President Hamilton!"

Angelica smiled as she watched the news from the confines of her hospital room. Eliza sat in the corner, snuggling her new nephew close.

President Hamilton.

It had a nice ring to it.

"Yes?" Alexander was obviously trying very hard to swallow his pride as he responded to the address for the first time, turning to look at a reporter who had published a scathing opinion piece about him just two months earlier.

"How is your son?"

Alexander's face broke into the smile he'd been struggling to hold back. "How did you know it was a boy, Jamie?"

The reporter blushed. "A good reporter never reveals her sources."

"Uh-huh," Alexander smirked at the reporter knowingly before shifting his eyes to focus on the reporters as a group. "Both Angelica and our son are doing very well, thank you for asking."

"Does he have a name?" Another reporter called out.

"Garrett," Alexander admonished, obviously relishing holding a position in which he could lord himself over the reporters who had circled him like sharks in the water throughout his career. "You know that you're supposed to wait your turn. Yes, Barb?"

"What _is_ his name?" The reporter that Alexander had selected for the next question would get the answer instead of Garrett. Angelica rolled her eyes. Hopefully their son would not be nearly as dramatic as his father.

"I'm glad you asked." Alexander smiled at the reporter kindly. She was his favorite, by far. She had been the kindest to him throughout his career. "His name is Aaron Burr Hamilton."


	31. Chapter 31

After Angelica's last broadcast for the week, she and Church flew out to Virginia. Angelica did not change into casual clothes, hoping that her professional wardrobe would serve as something akin to armor. Church brought a script of things that he wanted to say to Johnny. Among those things was a reassurance that it was not his fault that he introduced Philip to George Eacker in the first place.

The car ride from the airport to Johnny's dorm room was a long one. Neither Angelica nor Church said a word during it. There was nothing to say.

When they arrived at the dorm, they received odd looks from the students milling around. No doubt, they were significantly older than anyone else on campus - barring professors - and looked about as gloomy as characters straight out of a Tim Burton movie. Neither Angelica nor Church paid the students' stares any mind. They continued up to the third floor to find Johnny's room.

"Mom?" Johnny was leaning against one of the walls of the hallway, talking to a small gaggle of friends. He stared at Angelica and Church in surprise, his face red. "Dad? What are you doing here?"

"We need to speak with you," Church said firmly. "We would like to do so in our hotel room."

"Oh…okay? Should I pack my things? Is everything alright?" Johnny removed himself from his group of friends immediately, leading Church and Angelica to his dorm room. He unlocked the door and threw a few things into his backpack.

"Um…" Angelica didn't know how to answer his question. Obviously, everything was not alright. Still, he was her child and she very much did not want to cause him undue stress. The entire point of waiting until they got to the hotel to tell him was to avoid Johnny making a scene in front of his classmates and friends. "You shouldn't need to bring very many things, honey. Let's just go."

"Dad?" Johnny was growing worried. He looked to Church for some kind of explanation.

"We will tell you in the hotel." Church reminded him firmly. It was odd how kind and accommodating he could be with the Hamilton children while remaining unyieldingly harsh with his own son.

"Okay," Johnny looked between them apprehensively, leading the way out of his dorm room and towards the stairwell.

As they walked to the parking lot, Angelica cast Church a look of disapproval. This was not the proper situation to be a stern parent. Johnny was about to find out that his cousin, his childhood best friend, was dead. Surely that merited a bit of compassion.

The drive to the hotel was a silent one. Johnny kept looking from Angelica to Church, obviously needing reassurance of some kind. Angelica avoided his stare as best she could. Church just focused on the road, pretending that no one was looking at him.

At the hotel, they remained silent on the elevator ride to the sixth floor. Church then led the group towards their room, Room 602. When everyone was inside, he closed the door and flipped the latch.

"Do you still speak with your friend, George Eacker?" Church began the conversation. Angelica's stomach dropped. Her body broke out in a nervous sweat. She dreaded the moment when she would be expected to say something.

"George?" Johnny looked between Church and Angelica uncertainly. "Uh, no, I haven't spoken to him in a few weeks, I guess. We're both pretty busy with school. Why? Did something happen to him?"

Church sighed, sitting on the side of the bed. He looked up at Johnny, the first hint of sympathy crossing his face. "Philip and George were at the same party last week."

"Oh," Johnny's shoulders slumped. "Did they fight?"

"They did," Church nodded, biting at his upper lip. The fact the Johnny didn't understand the severity of the fight only made the explanation more difficult.

"I'm sorry," Johnny interjected. "Is Aunt Eliza mad? I really didn't know that they wouldn't like each other when I brought George to the party. I tried to tell him to take it easy on Philip. Should I call Philip? I don't know that he'd want to talk to me, though…"

"Johnny," Church cut him off. Johnny shut his mouth, his eyebrows furrowing in concern. "Philip…he didn't survive the fight."

"What?" Johnny didn't seem to understand.

"There were guns involved," Church tried to explain. His script remained in his pocket, useless. "And…I…Philip just…"

"He's dead?" Johnny turned to look at Angelica for confirmation.

Angelica nodded, not looking at him.

"No," Johnny spoke quietly, looking at Angelica in disbelief. "No, you're just joking. This is just a weird joke."

"It's not," Angelica finally spoke up. "It's not, Johnny. Both of them were at a party, and they'd been drinking, and they both made really bad decisions."

"When did this happen?" Johnny's eyebrows furrowed further. He stared at Angelica intently, like she was withholding precious information from him. "I-I…why didn't anyone tell me? I wanted to see him, I should have been able to apologize…I _should_ apologize. This is all my fault."

"Calm down, honey." Angelica could feel her throat starting to constrict. "This is not your fault. Both Philip and George made bad decisions at the party that day. It does not have anything to do with you."

"No, no, it's my fault," Johnny insisted. "I should at least apologize to Uncle Alex and Aunt Eliza."

Johnny's tone was emphatic. He began pacing. He eyed the door.

"They don't need an apology from you," Church reasoned. "They understand that this had nothing to do with you. They just want you to be okay, Johnny. They're just worried about how upset you're feeling."

"I made him miserable this summer. I made his life hell. I was…I was punishing him because I was embarrassed about the connection to his family," Johnny's lips wobbled as he spoke. He was still pacing. In one fluid motion, however, he lunged for the door. Church was off of the bed and restraining Johnny from running out of the door in an instant. The moment that Church's arms circled around Johnny, the poor boy collapsed. He crumbled into Church's arms, his protests dissolving into sobs that wracked his entire body.

Angelica stood a foot or two away from them as Church mumbled reassuring things to Johnny, who could not articulate any responses over his sobs. It was so strange, watching them. Johnny looked so much younger than nineteen. He looked about eight; he looked like a young boy whose heart was broken by a stern reprimand from his father. Angelica wished that curing this was as simple as getting him an ice cream cone and telling him that everything would be okay.

"We're going to make it through all of this, do you hear me?" Church was assuring Johnny firmly. His tone was almost enough to convince Angelica that he really believed it. "We're going to make it through."

* * *

They pulled Johnny from school for the next few weeks. Blessedly, he was only taking freshman classes that he could stand to miss an entire semester of without missing anything important. Even if his classes were complex, Johnny made it clear that he would be attending Philip's funeral come hell or high water.

He spoke at Philip's funeral - all of the children did. Well, all of them besides Baby.

After days of arguing with the doctors, Alexander and Eliza finally agreed to admit Baby to a mental institution. They visited her as often as they could. They assured one another that she would only be there for a short amount of time, while she learned coping techniques for these issues of hers.

This conviction only grew stronger when they realized that Baby would be unable to attend the funeral of her beloved older brother.

"Thank you for speaking," Eliza approached Johnny at the reception following the procession. She touched Johnny's shoulder lightly, her mouth curving into a small, grave smile. "I know that it would have meant a lot to Philip, especially because his sister couldn't be here."

Johnny nodded, obviously uncertain about how to respond.

"Would you mind if I borrowed you two for a moment?" Eliza wasn't bothered by Johnny's uncomfortable silence. She looked from Johnny to Church, her eyes apologetic. "I need help setting up a few things and I can't find Alexander anywhere. I would do it myself, but…" She gestured at her stomach, growing larger with each passing day, "The doctor is insistent that I don't do any lifting."

"Of course," Church agreed immediately. He nudged Johnny's shoulder and nodded in some vague direction which he assumed that Eliza needed them. "Johnny, c'mon."

"You don't mind, do you Angelica?" Eliza turned to look at Angelica with her big, doe eyes.

Angelica shook her head, her mouth curving into an indulgent smile. "Keep them as long as you like, honey."

"Thank you." Eliza squeezed Angelica's hand before disappearing with Church and Johnny in tow.

Absent Eliza, Angelica took the opportunity to scan the room for Alexander. It was odd for him to disappear for the reception of his own son's funeral. He'd been acting odd since Philip's death entirely, though. He had shrunken into himself, not unlike he had when John Laurens died. Chewing her lip, Angelica approached the exit of the reception venue. She had a theory that she knew where she'd find him.

Sure enough, from the back exit of the venue, Angelica could see a dark figure standing in the parking lot of the Burger King across the street. She rolled her eyes and crossed the street. As she drew closer, she confirmed that the figure was, in fact, Alexander. He was smoking a cigarette and gazing at his surroundings thoughtfully.

"You still smoke?" Angelica didn't bother hiding her surprise. "I thought that was just a bad influence that John Laurens had on you in high school."

"Mm," Alexander didn't seem surprised to hear her voice. He didn't even turn to look at her. His mouth curved into a grim smile. "This bad influence might be the only thing he left behind on this earth."

"As far as leaving things behind goes, I'd say leaving a bad habit is better than leaving a good one," Angelica ventured with a small smile. She leaned against the wall next to Alexander. "How are you doing?"

"I don't know," Alexander answered, exhaling a cloud of smoke before turning to look at Angelica. His eyes were bloodshot. He looked like the shell of the man that Angelica had once known. "I don't think it's sunk in, you know? Everyone kept coming up and talking to me, and every time I said anything, they would just give me this look like…I don't know, like they were expecting something different from me. Like they were expecting me to be crying, screaming, cursing god…something like that. I'm not able to do any of that yet, though, because I don't really believe that he's gone."

"Alex…"

"No, I know, I know," Alexander interjected, nodding his head and waving off Angelica's concern. "Objectively, I know that he's gone, but I just don't feel it yet. I still expect him to call and ask for money every Sunday night. I still look in Baby's room before I go to bed to make sure her lights are off because I don't remember that she isn't my happy, healthy little girl anymore. It just hasn't sunk in yet."

"Hm," Angelica looked at the cigarette perched between Alexander's fingers. "You're making me wish that I smoked."

"It's never too late to start."

"I think it finally might be," Angelica argued, wrinkling her nose a little bit. "I think we've finally reached the point in our lives where we can say that old dogs can't learn new tricks."

"What are you talking about, Annie? You still look like you're seventeen."

"No, I don't. You don't, either."

"Hm. I act like I'm seventeen, though."

"No arguments here."

"Ha." Alexander murmured sarcastically. He turned to peer at Angelica. "Would you go back, if you could?"

"What, to high school?"

"Yeah.

"I don't know," Angelica slumped her shoulders. "I mean, I do miss the times when you were the biggest problem in my life, but…" She ran a hand through her hair and shook her head. "No. If we did anything differently in high school, we would have never had Johnny, or Philip, or any of the other kids."

"If we'd done some things differently, Philip might be alive today." Alexander supposed.

"Or he might not have existed at all," Angelica responded. "Is that worth the risk?"

Alexander shook his head. "I don't know what I would have done if Philip hadn't ever been a part of my life."

Angelica tilted a smile. There was his answer.

"You know, Annie," He continued. He looked at Angelica out of the corner of his eye, his mouth still tilted upwards. "I really think I would've died without Eliza."

"I know."

"But I never would have lived without you."

Angelica had to remind herself that this was not an appropriate time or place to smile. She settled for scooting over and leaning her weight against Alexander. She took his hand in hers, like she had longed to do so many times before. He accepted her hand, brushing his thumb against hers affectionately. Angelica allowed herself to rest her head on Alexander's shoulder while he smoked the remainder of his cigarette.

When he finally flicked it to the ground and toed it out with his overly expensive shoe, Angelica removed her head from Alexander's shoulder. She fussed with her hair as she spoke.

"We should go back. Everyone will be wondering where you are."

Alexander looked down at Angelica, considering this. His mouth quirked into a half smile. He leaned towards Angelica. Angelica frowned, glancing down at the ground uncertainly. Alexander understood and kissed her forehead gently.

"I love you, Annie."

"I love you, Alex."

Alexander nodded, letting out a sigh. He looked in the direction of the reception. From the distance of the parking lot, it looked abstract; anything could have been happening within the confines of those walls. To a passerby, it would have been easy to guess that a wedding reception was taking place that afternoon, or maybe even a bingo night. If only Alexander and Angelica could have such a level of blissful ignorance. If only they didn't have to walk back into that building, knowing perfectly well what they were walking into.

"Alright," Alexander sighed, looking down at his and Angelica's joined hands before distangling himself from her. He looked in the direction of the reception venue grimly. "Into battle we go."

 **Rewind**

It surprised no one that Alexander hated the diplomacy aspect of being the president. He was known to resort to anger whenever things didn't go quite his way. On his first day, he got into a screaming-match with James Madison that resulted in the entire White House hearing him swear for a good five minute, completely uninterrupted.

Angelica solved that problem quickly.

As soon as Aaron was old enough to be away from her for an hour or two at a time, she would keep him in the oval office. A bassinet stood just beside Alexander's desk. He would not dare yell and carry on when his son was in the room.

Alexander didn't mind this change in scene. In fact, he very obviously enjoyed it. Angelica would walk into the office to discuss some aspect of the presidency that she needed Alexander to consider – she was much more of a Vice President than Nathaniel Pendleton, the _actual_ Vice President, was – and would find little Aaron in Alexander's lap, sound asleep while Alexander poured over bills needing approval.

When approached about his presidential portrait, Alexander asked if Aaron could be in the portrait with him. When he was told no, he pouted until Angelica booked a separate photoshoot for Alexander and Aaron to have their pictures taken together.

As soon as Aaron was old enough to safely leave the house, he went to all of Alexander's meetings. Alexander bought him dozens of little suits – all of which were ruined by the end of their first day of use – and brought him to meet with members of Congress, diplomats, and world leaders. Thomas told the media that he was certain that Alexander used Aaron as a negotiation tactic; trying to soften the hearts of anyone he encountered. The Canadian Prime Minister objected to this characterization, telling sources that Alexander knew that he was the most enamored person whenever Aaron was in the room. If anything, it lessened _his_ negotiation prowess, not his opponent's.

Angelica didn't mind Alexander taking Aaron everywhere. In fact, she liked it a great deal. It gave her time to read through Congress bills in peace, among other things. It also meant that Alexander changed 90% of the dirty diapers. Most importantly, though, Alexander was happier than Angelica had seen him in _years_.

Aaron was the best thing that could have happened to their marriage.

* * *

On Aaron's first birthday, Alexander instructed his Chief of Staff not to bother him unless nuclear war was on the horizon. He wanted at least an hour to celebrate his son in peace.

The Washingtons were there. Both of them were delighted by Aaron's existence. George was known to scoop him up whenever Alexander finally set him down. Martha joked that during his first year of life, Aaron's little feet never touched the ground.

Eliza, Peggy, and John Schuyler were there, too, as were Mr. and Mrs. Schuyler.

"Is there any cake?" John asked, grinning at Angelica as she watched George and Eliza trail after Alexander, who was carrying Aaron towards the massive pile of presents stacked against the wall.

"Ask the kitchen to get you some," Angelica answered absently.

"You didn't make a cake?" John was shocked. "Angie, you were always the one who was hellbent on having cake at your parties."

"Alex is on a no-sugar kick." Angelica rolled her eyes and shrugged. "He doesn't want anything to stunt Aaron's capacity to be a genius."

"Christ." John murmured, running a hand through his hair. "I'm going to have to steal that kid away to sneak him some candy, aren't I? It's what any good uncle would do."

"Good luck prying him away from Alex." Angelica reminded him with a smirk.

"How much do I have to bribe his assistant to tell him that there's some emergency that he needs to deal with?"

"I think that might be treason." Angelica sighed, rolling her eyes. "And anyway, I've already tried it a dozen times. He found the one Chief of Staff who is above bribery, apparently."

"Presents!" Eliza announced from across the room, clapping with delight as Alexander sat down in a chair and set to work helping Aaron unwrap his presents. George plopped down on the floor and handed Alexander each present to open. They looked ridiculous, but they were so deliriously happy that no one could bring themselves to laugh.

"Do you regret it?" John asked, watching the proceedings with a curious expression. He turned to look at Angelica. "Retiring for the kid?"

Angelica watched as Alexander smiled down at Aaron, who was waving a card in the air while squealing with delight.

"No," Her smile came so naturally that it startled her. She shook her head and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "I don't. After everything that we've been through…I would do it all over again in a heartbeat."

"Hm." John, known for his bachelor preferences, obviously disapproved. "Well, it's good that Aaron looks like Alex, I guess."

"Why's that?" Angelica couldn't help but laugh.

"Eliza's finally got a version of him for herself." John could never resist making a joke at his sister's expense.

Angelica scowled and punched John in the shoulder before approaching where Aaron was attempting to shove one of his new shoes into his mouth.

* * *

"It was nice of Eliza to watch Aaron tonight." Alexander remarked as he and Angelica sifted through the mass of memos and bills that had fallen on his desk during Aaron's birthday party.

"It was nice of you to let her have him for the night," Angelica responded with a wry smile.

Alexander chuckled. "Congress threatened to send only electronic copies of bills if Aaron spit up on any more of them."

"Oh, like James Madison has never done it." Angelica teased.

"That's exactly what I said." Alexander grinned.

"Mr. President." Alexander's Chief of Staff ran into the room without knocking. Alexander immediately leaped to his feet, his expression sobering. Angelica straightened her clothes and stood up slowly, looking at Alexander in concern. "Mr. President, France is -"

"Goddamn it." Alexander already had the phone in his hand. He began angrily dialing the numbers, glancing up at his Chief of Staff. "When?"

"Fifteen minutes ago, sir."

"That long?" Alexander disapproved. "Why am I just now finding out about it?"

"Our diplomat was…" The Chief of Staff trailed off.

"No," Alexander growled, pressing his hand to the talk-piece of the phone. "What happened?"

"A firefight broke out between the rebels and the police. Our diplomat was caught in the crossfire while out for coffee. It was not an intentional act."

"Still, it's an act of war," Alexander grumbled. "Hello, Gil? What the _fuck_ is going on in your country?"

Angelica bit her lip. France had been dancing along the lines of civil war for months now. There was unrest among the citizens as the government began overreaching powers; limiting things like freedom of the press and due process rights. If the diplomat had been shot, Lafayette was Alexander's most reliable contact.

"What do you mean, _Austria_?" Alexander demanded indignantly. "No, Gil, I know where Austria is. I was asking, _what the fuck are you doing in Austria_?"

"Are there news reports?" Angelica turned to the Chief of Staff, trying to regain her footing. If the civil war had broken out, Alexander was going to need help. She would need to start sifting through reports to figure out what was happening.

"The news only just broke." He answered apologetically.

"Get me everything you have on it," Angelica instructed, her tone leaving no room for argument. "I don't care if you have to rip it out of the hands of the speechwriters, I need it more than they do."

"Yes, ma'am." The Chief of Staff bowed his head before disappearing through the doors of the oval office.

Alexander slammed the phone back into its set hard enough to cause the plastic to crackle in protest. He turned to Angelica, his face red with anger. "Lafayette resigned and fled to Austria last night without warning _anyone_. My fucking ambassador is dead. I don't know what the fuck is going on."

"Calm down," Angelica instructed him firmly.

"Annie, I have _no_ insight into the political landscape of a country at war," Alexander's voice was rising with hysteria. "I don't know if I should be condemning the rebels or supporting them. The government was taking away their personal rights, but the rebels _killed_ people. Good people. I have to call that diplomat's family and tell them that he was shot tonight."

"You know who we have to call." Angelica remained calm despite Alexander's transition towards a full-forced breakdown.

"No." Alexander stopped pacing long enough to glare at her for even suggesting it.

"Alex, he can help."

"He won't help."

"Yes, he will."

"He hates me."

"This is beyond that." Angelica was already fishing her cell phone out of her bag. "This is about a country at war. He'll work with us on this."

"I don't like it."

"I don't care." Angelica pressed her cell phone to her ear, tapping her phone as she listened to the ringtone. "I'm inviting him over."

"Hello?" A tired voice inquired over the phone.

"Tom." Angelica didn't waste time with a greeting. "A war just broke out in France. We're sending a car over. How soon can you get here?"

"Give me two hours."

"We don't have two hours. Get here in one." Angelica hung up the phone before Thomas could protest. She turned to look at Alexander, who was dialing the diplomat's family's phone number into the phone grimly.

"How long?" Alexander mouthed.

"One hour," Angelica whispered back, cringing as Alexander launched into the painfully familiar death-in-service phone call that he had had to make far too many times throughout his presidency so far. He nodded at her as he spoke, both of them accepting that this night was destined to be one of the worst of Alexander's presidency.

* * *

"How long ago did it happen?" Thomas asked as Angelica escorted him towards the oval office. He didn't speak to her fondly, like he might have under different circumstances. Presently, they were not two former lovers. They were two of the three only people who could decide the fate of the French government.

"About an hour and a half ago," Angelica answered, pushing through the doors of the oval office, guarded by Secret Service and half of Alexander's staff. Everyone knew better than to try to stop Angelica.

Alexander was pacing the length of his office when they stepped through the doorway. His tie hung loose around his neck, his sleeves were rolled up, and his hair was a mess. He had been agonizing over the situation since hanging up the phone with the diplomat's family.

"Any luck with the President?" Angelica asked.

"No," Alexander answered, pacing without looking in their direction. "I don't even know if she's alive, at this point."

"Call Robespierre," Thomas spoke with a startling amount of authority.

Alexander finally stopped pacing, turning to look at Thomas. "I don't think so."

"The leader of the rebels?" Angelica herself was uncertain of this course of action.

"You can't stay isolationist on this," Thomas shed his suit coat and tossed it on a nearby chair. He sat on the couch and rolled up his own sleeves, gathering the stack of information that Angelica had compiled while waiting for his arrival at the White House. "You'll give the people the idea that you're okay with the government restricting personal liberties."

"If I support them, I'll give the people the idea that I'm perfectly fine with them murdering a government that they disagree with." Alexander snarled back.

"The tree of liberty requires blood from time to time." Thomas shrugged.

"I suppose it's all the better if it's _my_ blood next?" Alexander asked drolly, arching an eyebrow.

"Your words." Thomas didn't look up from the papers, pretending that Alexander was behaving childishly.

"Your implications." Alexander would not be made to feel such a way. "What do you think the UN will say if I show up to the next conference having come out in support of a pack of rebels?"

"I suppose they'll be mighty surprised that the president himself showed up to the meeting. Will you bring your toddler, too?"

Angelica rolled her eyes, slipping out of the office as Alexander sucked in a breath for whatever snarky comeback he was going to make. She strode through the hallways, ignoring Alexander's staff running around like chickens with their heads cut off. It seemed that anarchy had already slipped out of France and found its way into the country. She made her way past the madness to the door of the Lincoln bedroom, where George Washington was staying, for old time's sake. She rapped the door with her knuckles three times.

"Angelica?" George opened the door wearing his bathrobe and a pair of slippers that Martha must have gotten for him. His eyes widened as he saw interns and employees running down the hallway behind her. "What's going on?"

"The French standoff finally ended," Angelica answered, trying to keep her tone level. "Unfortunately, it ended with our diplomat dead, Lafayette taking refuge in Austria, and some question as to whether the French President is alive."

"Oh." George blinked. "How is Alexander handling it?"

"He isn't." Angelica was surprised that George needed to ask. "He brought in Thomas Jefferson for consultation, and -"

George groaned, stepping out of the bedroom and closing the door behind him. "I know what that means. Are they in the oval office?"

"Yep." Angelica breathed in relief.

George started for the office without a moment's hesitation, not seeming to care that he was wearing a robe and pajamas. It was likely not his first time walking through the White House in such attire. Angelica followed after him, struggling to keep up with his long strides.

He burst through the office doors without knocking. Alexander was in the middle of screaming at Thomas, who had buried his face in a pile of papers. They both looked up guiltily when they saw George standing in the doorway. They looked ten years younger – two precocious young men forced to confront their displeased boss.

"What the hell is the matter with you two?" George snatched the stack of papers out of Thomas' hands and set them down on the coffee table. "France is on the verge of war and you can't work together long enough to come up with a solution?"

"Sir, he wants me to _reward_ the rebels by offering them our cooperation!" Alexander didn't sound very presidential when he whined. Angelica bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"If you don't speak on the issue soon, they'll find another country that _will_. With the Chinese economy moving the way that it is, you _need_ France as an ally." Thomas reiterated his point slowly, like he was talking to a petulant child.

"Don't lecture me on the economy. You don't even understand the goddamn stock market." Alexander's face reddened again.

"Alexander." George's voice boomed out a warning. Both Alexander and Thomas fell silent once more. "Both of you need to work together. Thomas, Alexander is now the President of the United States. You will award him the respect that he has earned. It looks like you have done your research. Do what you have been asked to do and give him your educated opinion. Write him a memo. Alexander, you're the President of the United States. You no longer have the luxury of petty arguments with Thomas. You are to listen to as many opinions as possible and act within the Constitution that has given you the right to govern."

"Yes, sir." Alexander said petulantly, giving Thomas one last dirty look before crossing the room and plopping down at the desk, presumably to find out more about the situation in France. Thomas, meanwhile, pulled his laptop from his bag and set to work typing up an opinion memo that Alexander would most likely disagree with.

George turned to look at Angelica, a mildly amused expression on his face. "That should do it for the night. I think that I'll return to my room – I've had my eight years of late night crises. I'm glad that I needn't spend another in this room. Good luck, Alexander."

"Thank you, sir." Alexander grumbled, punching a new phone number into his phone.

"What's going on?" Eliza shuffled into the room as George was exiting. She rubbed at her doe eyes tiredly, only perking up a little once she noticed that Thomas was in the room. She pulled her robe a little tighter around her body.

"Where's Aaron?" Alexander's attention was immediately divided.

"He's still asleep. Martha's watching him," Eliza didn't turn to look at Alexander as she spoke. She looked at Angelica, her eyes wide with questioning. "What's going on?"

"France's government collapsed." Angelica didn't see the point in keeping it a secret from Eliza. She ran her hand through her hair as she spoke. She pretended not to notice that Thomas watched her do so. "Alex is trying to figure out the best course of action for America. Thomas is here for consultation."

"Why not Gil?" Eliza finally turned to look at Alexander.

Alexander looked at Angelica irritably, nodding to Eliza. Angelica rolled her eyes, but grabbed Eliza's arm and guided her out of the oval office, where she wouldn't be a distraction.

"Lafayette is in Austria right now," Angelica answered quietly, walking Eliza through the halls and towards the stairs. She was hoping to guide her little sister right back to her room, where she would quietly remain until the crisis was over. "He escaped the night before, prior to the rebellion."

"Is George with him?" Eliza stopped short, her face drained of color. "And…Adrienne?"

"I don't know." Angelica shrugged, trying to tug Eliza towards her room by the arm. "Eliza, come on. I need to get back to the oval office to help Alex figure this whole mess out."

"Is he going to save Gil?" Eliza's feet began moving again. "He's going to grant him asylum and bring him here, isn't he?"

"I don't know," Angelica repeated. "We haven't figured any of this out. If he sides with the rebels, it probably wouldn't be the most strategic move in the world – especially if he's safe in Austria. Why don't you go to bed? I'll have more to tell you in the morning."

"Is Alexander talking to him right now?" Eliza would not be distracted. She stood outside of her bedroom door, her mouth curved down into a firm pout.

Angelica sighed, running her hand through her hair. "No. He can't get hold of him. I know that he's your friend and you feel somewhat responsible for him, honey, but we can't let personal relationships get in the way of Alex properly governing the country, okay? If Lafayette needs to stay in Austria for a little while, so be it."

"Alexander can't feel that way, too." Eliza shook her head, disbelieving.

"He's the president," Angelica reminded her sister firmly. "He should feel that way, too."

"Mrs. Hamilton," One of Alexander's staff members approached then, concern written plain across his features. "The President is asking for you."

"Give me a minute," Angelica instructed him. She turned to look at Eliza. "Honey, it's going to be okay. We're going to help Alex make the best decision for the country right now, then we'll figure out what to do with Lafayette. Please, keep an eye on Aaron for us until we're done."

"Okay." Eliza nodded, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Thank you." Angelica didn't quite understand why Eliza was so worked up over her friendship with Lafayette, but she didn't have time to try to understand. She turned around and rushed back down the hallway, leaving Eliza to sort out her own feelings while she went to deal with Alexander's.

"Annie." The moment that Angelica set foot in the oval office, Alexander was standing before her with a massive stack of papers. Thomas was sprawled across the couch, his phone pressed to his ear and a scowl on his face. "I need your help. The French ambassador is on her way over. She doesn't know any more than we do, but she's worried that her extended family might have been taken captive by the rebels in a bid to secure our cooperation. Can you bring her to the Roosevelt room and try to figure that out? Pendleton is already in there – he'll help you out."

"Okay," Angelica didn't have time to think about the detrimental effect that a hostage situation would have on foreign relations. "Have you figured out what you're going to…"

"No." Alexander didn't meet her eyes.

Angelica nodded. She did not press the point further – she knew better. "What's our position if there is a hostage situation? Should I proceed with negotiations, or should we wait until the Secretary of State returns?"

"Where's Knox?" Thomas put his phone against his shoulder, looking at Alexander and Angelica expectantly.

Alexander sighed. Apparently, he hadn't been forthcoming with Thomas on the location of his Secretary of State. "He's on his way back from a family vacation as we speak."

"A vacation?" Thomas disapproved. "Where's he coming from?"

"Australia," Alexander responded reluctantly.

"Australia." Thomas echoed, his tone making his feelings clear. "So, we aren't actually expecting him before your press conference tomorrow."

"There's a phone on the plane if we need him." Alexander snapped, turning around to look at Thomas.

"What is it that you expect Nate and I to do in the Roosevelt room?" Angelica interrupted irritably. "I don't have the authority that Knox does to negotiate with a foreign country, and I don't think that Nate does, either. We can't make any promises until he comes back."

"Keep things calm, buy us some time. That's all you have to do." Alexander had already turned around to return to his desk. His phone had not stopped ringing since Angelica's arrival into the office. "They'll like speaking to Pendleton because he has a position of authority. They'll like speaking to you because they'll find out that you know how to negotiate. Keep them talking, keep the ambassador's family safe, and we'll figure out the rest after the press conference."

Angelica nodded before scooting out of the office. She sucked in a deep breath before squaring her shoulders and walking towards the Roosevelt room. Into battle.

* * *

"I understand what you're saying, _Monsieur_ Colbert," Angelica glowered at Nathaniel, who had just angered the rebel forces by suggesting that they tune into Alexander's press conference instead of continuing with the negotiations. "But we cannot act without my husband's approval. We don't want to promise you anything that we can't deliver."

"He was supposed to make a press conference an hour ago!" Colbert, who seemed to be the head honcho of this hostage situation, reminded Angelica angrily. With each moment that the conference was delayed, he grew increasingly agitated. "Our patience is growing thin, _Madame 'amilton_."

"I understand," Angelica ran a hand through her hair, glancing at the TV sitting at the corner of the room. On the screen, press reporters were milling around the conference room, waiting for Alexander to make an appearance. "This is very unlike him. I assure you, he is not stalling – if anything, he's just making sure that he has all of the information and resources to –"

"No more excuses! If we do not hear from the President within the next hour -"

"Good morning." Alexander had taken the podium. Angelica's heart filled with relief. Across the room, the French ambassador visibly relaxed. "I'm sure you have all seen the news – French rebels have overthrown their government and declared the country under the control of a new democratic government."

"See? He's here." Nathaniel Pendleton was something of a glory hound. He was grinning like he was personally responsible for Alexander's appearance.

"But what will he choose?" Colbert mused. Angelica could hear Alexander's voice lilting in the background – Colbert was watching the conference, too. "For if he sides with the dictatorship, these negotiations will have all been for naught."

"Come on Alex," Angelica hummed under her breath, focusing on the TV.

"The position of this government on the matter is…"


	32. Chapter 32

It was a quiet existence in the post-Philip world.

Alexander threw all of his weight into his two pet causes: his bill with Aaron Burr, which would be going to the floor soon, and the gun control lobbying organization that he and Eliza had founded.

On the days when he was working with Aaron to gain votes for the bill, he would show up at the station and ask Angelica to lunch. Angelica never turned him down. He never said much, though.

He didn't say much when Aaron Burr betrayed him, either.

Angelica found out the moment that her broadcast ended that day.

"Mrs. Church," Quincy approached her with a clipboard and a grimace. It was never good news when Quincy had a clipboard and a grimace. "I, uh, I just got news from the Hill. It's going to break in just a minute."

"Am I going to break it?" Angelica craned her neck to get a better look at the contents of Quincy's clipboard.

"No," Quincy jerked the clipboard closer to his chest, where Angelica couldn't read it. Angelica looked at him, irritated. Quincy looked back at her apologetically. "I…uh…it's about your brother-in-law, or, uh…Mr. Hamilton."

"What about him?" Angelica's eyes narrowed in an effort not to let the rest of the crew see that her heart was flooding into her shoes. She didn't want anyone to know that after all that he had done, Alexander still had the capacity to injure her. "What did he do?"

"It's his bill with Senator Burr," Quincy explained quickly. "It just made it through the house. Based off of what Mr. Hamilton has been telling the news, it looks like Senator Burr might have tricked him. The bill has nothing to do with clean energy; it's granting Senator Burr the ability to start a new bank in New York, exempt from Federal Tax."

"What?" Angelica choked over her words. "But…how did no one catch that?"

"It was a four-hundred page bill," Quincy reminded her nervously. "And even if some of the Federalist candidates saw it, they figured that if Mr. Hamilton's name was on it, it was something that would be good for the treasury."

"He used Alex for his signature, and that's it?" Angelica wasn't surprised, but boy, was she angry. "Who's breaking this story?"

"Fox News broke it first."

"Son of a bitch," Angelica sucked on her teeth and shook her head. "Of course they did. Has Eliza tried to call me? Or Alex?"

"No."

"Then I should call them," Angelica began walking towards her dressing room. Quincy followed after her, looking at her nervously.

"Mrs. Church, I think that this is a delicate situation," He proffered. "Perhaps you would be better served to visit them in person."

"Alex will probably be on a press warpath, I don't know that he'll be home." Angelica rolled her eyes. "Could you please call them and let me know when they're on the line?"

"They're tapping your phone." Quincy finally announced, looking at Angelica in a strange combination of fear and sympathy.

"What?" Angelica arched an eyebrow. "Who?"

"The producers," Quincy looked down at his shoes, ashamed. "They've been monitoring the phone calls you've made on your dressing room phone and looking through emails that you send on your work account. They're trying to compete with Fox in terms of getting their hands on the news, and they think that since you're so close with a number of the big players…"

"How do you know this?" Angelica spoke quietly. She always got quiet when she was angry. It was not a good sign. Quincy fidgeted nervously.

"I overheard them talking at a dinner party."

"When?"

"A week ago."

"You waited a week to tell me about this?"

"I didn't _want_ to!" Quincy protested weakly. "I felt terrible the whole time. I even tried to find ways to trick you into figuring it out for yourself. I just…they'll fire me if they knew I've told you. They're the ones who write my paycheck, not you. They're the ones I'm supposed to be loyal to. I just can't afford to lose this job. It's the best job I've ever had."

"Your dad is the fucking _president_ and you didn't tell me about this because you were worried that no one would hire you?" Angelica demanded in disbelief.

"When you phrase it that way, it's unfair." Quincy looked like he was on the brink of tears.

"I don't have time for this," Angelica decided. She didn't want to make Quincy cry; she knew that she would regret it once she cooled off. He was a good kid, if not a little bit weak-willed. "I want you to figure out how to get me a secure line without the producers finding out. Otherwise, I'm going to confront them head-on and I'll mail you a copy of the classifieds. I'm going to go to my sister's house and figure this mess out. If anyone asks where I am, just tell them that I'm working on getting an exclusive interview with Thomas Jefferson."

"What happens when you don't get the exclusive interview?" Quincy asked, shifting his weight from foot to foot anxiously.

"Who says I won't get the interview?" Angelica looked at him strangely before walking out the door.

* * *

"He's locked himself away," Eliza told Angelica, looking back at Alexander's closed office door tearfully. She clutched her coffee cup with trembling hands. "It's like this was the final straw for him. This shattered any pieces of him that were left whole. He won't come out to eat, he's refusing to take interviews of any kind…only the kids can get him to leave, and sometimes that won't even work. He snapped at Junior this morning. He's never said an unkind word to any of the children before. I don't know what I'm going to do with him."

"What's he doing in there?" Angelica looked at the office door, too.

"He says that he's working on something important," Eliza answered dismissively. She shrugged and took an unsteady sip of her coffee.

"But he's still being nice to you…right?" Angelica had never known Alexander to be unkind, but the fact that he was snapping at his own son was troubling.

Eliza nodded hastily. "Oh, yes, of course. No, the snapping at Junior was a one-off. Junior was bouncing a tennis ball against his office door to get his attention. Alexander's patience lasted much longer than my own patience would have. Still, I don't know how I'm going to raise this baby with him locked away in his office."

Angelica looked down at Eliza's swollen belly sympathetically. She was getting big. She was due in only a few short weeks.

"Do you know what you're going to name him, yet?" Angelica figured neither Alexander nor Eliza had been worrying over baby names when Alexander's career was falling apart. Then again, though, they had surprised her before.

Eliza shook her head. "He doesn't want to think about the baby right now. I think that he feels guilty."

"Guilty?" Angelica cocked his head.

Alexander had a lot to feel guilty about, but she couldn't think of any recent actions that might lead to a sensation of guilt. It wasn't his fault that he had gotten tricked into signing Aaron Burr's cunning bill.

"Financially, we aren't…" Eliza hesitated, setting her coffee on the counter and frowning. "President Adams asked for Alexander's resignation after hearing about the bill. He is expected to turn his letter in on Friday night, once the papers are done publishing for the weekend."

"What?" Angelica hadn't heard this piece of news, yet. "But that's ridiculous. He got that awful debt plan through Congress. He delivered the undeliverable. Adams can't just decide to fire him."

Eliza smiled weakly. "He serves at the pleasure of the president."

"That's ridiculous." Angelica wondered if Quincy knew this piece of news. Perhaps that was why he wanted Angelica to speak with Eliza in person; he didn't want his father's unkind firing to reach public ears just yet. "What's he going to do?"

"There's very little that he can do," Eliza lowered his voice, looking back at Alexander's office door. "President Adams won't change his mind, and we're a year away from any kind of elections. Even if Alexander did have time to run for an office of his own, he doesn't think that his chances of getting elected are very good. Not after…" She cringed, but could not bring herself to mention the Reynolds affair by name. "Anyway, his political pull after this bill is nearly nonexistent. No one will work with him. He's beside himself."

Angelica slumped in her chair, frowning. "Is it just the money that he's worried about? Because you know that we can lend you the money. It's really no problem at all."

"It's not just the money," Eliza shook her head. "You know him as well as I do; he needs the work. It's what he subsists on. Though, the money certainly does contribute to the unpleasantness. We couldn't ask to borrow anything more from you and Church, though. It makes him feel wretched to even think of asking."

"We're not using the money." Angelica reminded her, already looking around for her purse. "Johnny never asks for anything, the house has been paid off for years, and we could happily live off of our retirement funds tomorrow. Let us help you if we can."

Eliza placed her hand on Angelica's, stopping her search for her purse. "Just listening is helping more than money ever could."

Angelica sighed, placing her hand on top of Eliza's. "Okay. But I will say, I think my assistant might be fired soon. There might be a position for Alex at the station."

Eliza laughed. "I'm sure that he would love nothing more than to be your assistant."

A shattering noise coming from Alexander's office interrupted the almost-pleasant conversation between the two women. Angelica jumped. Eliza sighed and frowned down at her coffee.

"You should probably go," Eliza said, looking at Angelica grimly. "You don't want to see him like this."

"Okay." Angelica knew it was probably cowardly to leave, but Eliza was right. She didn't want to see Alexander like this. It had been hard enough to see how defeated he was at Philip's funeral. Seeing him give up on his career would ruin the last shred of the memory of high school Alexander that Angelica had. "Please give me a call if you need anything."

"Thank you." Eliza squeezed Angelica's hand and afforded her a strained smile.

There was a loud bang from Alexander's office.

Angelica tried to smile at Eliza before ducking out of the front door and escape to the safety of her car.

* * *

"It took me forever to read that piece on inflation rates," Angelica complained as she met Quincy in the parking lot at the station. He looked at Angelica in surprise; he hadn't seen her walk across the parking lot to join him as he collected his belongings from his old Toyota Corolla. "Did you make a short sheet for me to read? I don't know how I'm going to make it through the broadcast any other way."

"You're here early, Mrs. Church." He replied, looking at her warily.

"The short sheet," Angelica repeated impatiently. "Is it done yet?"

"That segment was actually scrapped last night."

"What?" Angelica let her hands fall to her side in frustration. "Why didn't you call me? I spent two hours agonizing over that memo."

"You told me not to call you at home anymore." Quincy looked like a kicked puppy.

Angelica sighed, annoyed. She had said that. "What am I doing, then?"

"Uh, there's some kind of surprise guest," Quincy answered, fishing a stack of papers out of his bag as he followed Angelica into the station. "They didn't really tell me much. They said that they didn't want to give you time to prepare questions."

"Are they looking for reasons to fire me?" Angelica asked, her eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Why would they want to send me out to talk with a guest without any preparation? That's not good television. That's some stupid soap opera shit."

"I don't know what to tell you, Mrs. Church," Quincy was at a loss. "I know that they'll be here about an hour before the broadcast."

"Yes, but if they're an author, I can't figure out the synopsis of a book in an hour," Angelica griped. "I'm good, but I'm not that good."

"I don't…"

Angelica cell phone rang. It was Thomas. She spared Quincy one last annoyed glare before skulking away to speak to Thomas in private.

"Tom, hey. Sort of in crisis mode over here."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I told your producers that they should give you more time than an hour to prepare for the interview."

"Wait, it's you?" Angelica should have known. "You're the guest who is ruining my morning?"

"Guilty."

"Get your ass to the station." Angelica snapped, turning the corner to join Quincy in the walk to her dressing room. He looked at her, concerned. "I need you to tell me exactly why you're coming in for an interview. You know that I don't like surprises."

"Sorry," Thomas didn't sound sorry. "But this is for your own good. If I tell you before you break it on CNN, someone will find out. That's the way it goes. I'm really handing you the ratings of the year right now."

"You're arrogant."

"Yes." Thomas agreed smugly. "I'll see you at two."

"One-thirty."

"I have an audience with the president that doesn't end until one. That's not nearly enough time to make it to the station on time."

"So skip the meeting," Angelica plopped into her chair, looking herself over in the mirror. The makeup department had a lot of work to do today. "It's not like he's going to ask you to do anything of devastating importance during the dying breath of his presidency."

"Well, he is trying to appoint as many federal judges as he can before he has to leave."

"You're kidding," Angelica quirked a smile. "Can I report on that instead?"

"Everyone's going to have it when the appointments start rolling out," Thomas replied dismissively. "And you can mention it in passing during our interview if you want. I can't comment on it, of course, but you could always talk about some anonymous source giving you the news. Adams would probably assume that it was Hamilton's final revenge for the firing, anyway."

"Hm." Angelica didn't want to talk about Alexander with Thomas. Not when Alexander was so vulnerable. "And getting Alex in more trouble would only benefit you."

"Naturally." Thomas agreed, unbothered. "How is Hamilton doing, by the way?"

"We're not doing this."

"Okay." Thomas backed off right away. "Then I will see you at two o'clock."

"One-thirty."

"Bye, Angie."

"Bye, Tom."

* * *

At one-thirty on the dot, Thomas Jefferson walked into the studio with a gaggle of ambitious young interns at his heels. Angelica had to roll her eyes at the sight of him.

"Was all of this necessary?" She asked, gesturing to the interns as though they weren't there. Quincy looked around nervously, obviously trying to determine where he was going to house these interns while Thomas was taking the stage.

"No," Thomas conceded. "But I am nothing if not an inclusive boss. So, is the stage ready yet?"

Angelica turned to Quincy, looking at him to answer the question.

"Oh, uh, yes, sir. Right this way." Quincy began leading the small pack towards the stage that had been set up for Angelica's interview. He guided Thomas to his seat. "Mr. Vice President, you will sit here. Mrs. Church, you already know where you're going to sit." He looked at the pack of interns critically. They were already following Thomas onto the stage, looking around inquisitively. "You all, back up. Off the stage. Now."

"Your intern is bullying my interns," Thomas remarked as Angelica took her own seat.

Angelica smiled at the sight of Quincy shepherding all of Thomas' interns away from the stage. "Hm, I guess that just proves that I don't need twenty interns. I just need the one."

"You always did have a knack for finding the best of the best," Thomas grinned. "So, how much time do we have until I'm on camera?"

"Mm, about forty minutes."

"Forty minutes to kill with Angelica Schuyler."

"Angelica _Church_." Angelica rolled her eyes. "Why don't you just tell me why you're here?"

"Ah, ah, ah." Thomas chided her, wagging his index finger at her. "Not until the cameras are on. Trust me, it will be more than worth the wait. In the meantime, why don't you tell me about you? How's your son doing at Virginia? I have repeatedly sent him dinner invitations. He has not responded to a single one. It is not like a Schuyler to be so rude."

"He's a Church, not a Schuyler," Angelica informed him with a small smirk.

"Oh, come on, Angelica. He looks just like you, talks just like you…he might as well be a Schuyler." Thomas snorted. "The only difference between you and him is that John was able to beat out the qualities that he finds undesirable in his own wife. Sort of twisted, when one considers it from that angle."

"And how is your daughter?"

"Oh, she hates me," Thomas answered airily. "I can't say that I blame her all that much. I'm rarely home. She and I have no interests in common whatsoever. She takes after her mother more than she does me, I'm afraid. It makes it rather impossible to talk to her."

"God, you're so…"

"Watch what you say," Thomas cast Angelica a knowing look. She didn't like the way that it made her feel. "Your parental involvement looked remarkably similar to my own until your son reached an age in which he could speak with you like an adult. They're more interesting when they're adults."

"Why don't we not talk about our kids?" Angelica suggested. They were both lousy parents. There was no point in dwelling on it.

"Good plan." Thomas agreed quickly. "Have you been anywhere interesting lately?"

"Well, my family has kind of been falling apart for the past few years, so…no. Not really."

"Shame," Thomas shook his head and tutted. "You weren't meant to stay in one place for very long. I think we're alike in that respect. Why don't you go with me to France for a weekend?"

"And what would I tell Church?"

"What do you normally tell him when you take a weekend away?"

"Tom, I haven't taken a weekend away in years."

"You're upsetting me. What happened to the Angelica Schuyler that I used to know?" Thomas complained. "You've turned into this domestic…monster."

"Fuck you, too." Angelica pretended that her feelings weren't hurt. They were.

"I'm sorry, but," Thomas shook his head, his graying hair flopping into his face. "It's just a shame, is all. Women like you, they don't happen every day. I hate to see it go to waste."

"I'm not a wilting bag of lettuce, Tom. This is my life," Angelica snapped. "I need to make it at least somewhat manageable if I'm going to survive it."

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why do you need to make it manageable?" Thomas cocked his head to the side. "Because I think that you're just scared."

"We're on in ten, Mrs. Church." Quincy jogged onto the stage, briefly interrupting Angelica and Thomas' exchange. He seemed oblivious to the anger dwelling between them. It was likely that he was distracted by his own anger at the gaggle of interns he'd been put in charge of.

"Thank you, Quincy." Angelica acknowledged this time limit tightly. How fast forty minutes passed when one was being nagged by Thomas Jefferson.

"You know I'm right," Thomas wouldn't let a sleeping dog lie. "You're only in the mess that you're in because you're scared. You're scared that if you leave John, you'll be alone. You're scared that if you leave D.C., things might get unpredictable."

"I'm scared that if I cheat on my husband or suddenly disappear from my home, my marriage will be over." Angelica sniped back.

"So what if your marriage is over?" Thomas quirked an eyebrow. "Have you ever loved John?"

"Yes." Angelica bit back before giving herself time to think about the question. To pretend that she hadn't been willing to discard Church when she thought that Alexander might once again be available to her. "And if my marriage broke down, think of what that would do to Johnny."

"The kid is nineteen. I think custody is a long-forgotten issue at this point." Thomas rolled his eyes. "Admit it, you won't go to France with me because you're scared."

"If this is how you seduce women, Tom, it's really no wonder that you didn't remarry."

"And we're on in five…"

"That was unnecessary."

"Four…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, have I pushed too far?"

"Three…"

"I care about you, Angelica."

"Two…"

"Fuck you, Tom."

"One."

"And now, I'm joined by Vice President Jefferson," Angelica forced a smile, turning to look at Thomas squarely in the eye. He was also forcing a smile, but it was obvious from his eyes that behind it all, he was seething. "Mr. Vice President, thank you for joining me. I know how busy your schedule must be."

"Not too busy for the occasional vacation," Thomas looked at Angelica pointedly, still smiling that fake smile. "And a moment with Angelica Schuyler is always a vacation."

Angelica forced a laugh. "We both know I haven't been Angelica Schuyler in years."

Church would be livid about Thomas' intentional slip. It would only feed into his suspicions that Angelica and Thomas were more than just high school friends who had kept in touch. Rightly so, of course, but still unwelcome.

"No kidding," Thomas laughed too.

"So, what can I do for you, Mr. Vice President?" Angelica was ready to get him off of the show. "I'm sure that President Adams is eager for you to return to your office as quickly as possible this afternoon."

"Oh, he won't even know I'm gone," Thomas replied breezily. "He's too busy packing the benches of federal courts to worry about where his Vice President has gone."

Angelica could hear her producer choke on his coffee.

"I'm sorry, did you just say 'packing the benches'?" Angelica really wasn't interested in pretending that this was breaking news, but she would almost certainly be fired if she didn't at least prompt a few more questions on the subject.

"Sure." Thomas didn't seem to care that he was dragging his boss' name through the mud. "He's making the most during his last year as president by packing the bench with Federalist judges so that the incoming Republican president won't be able to get a single thing done. Hardly an original thought, but certainly a time-consuming process."

"What makes President Adams so sure that there's even a need for this bench-packing?" Angelica wanted to move this interview along. She wanted to get Thomas out from in front of the cameras so she could tell him what she was really thinking.

Thomas grinned. He was handsome when he smiled. Angelica wanted to punch him. "Come on, Angelica. You've seen the polls. We both know that President Adams' days in office are limited. After the free-speech debacle he's created, I would be surprised if anyone elected another Federalist candidate for a long time."

"What is President Adams going to say to you when he sees this interview?" Angelica was surprised by the casual nature with which Thomas was slandering his own boss. It certainly wouldn't do a thing to help his career.

"Oh, he'll probably see if he can sue me for defamation," Thomas answered with a carefree shrug. "We all know how much he abhors free speech. Luckily, I have a good lawyer on standby - your brother-in-law, as a matter of fact."

"Let's get back to talking about President Adams," Angelica suggested. Thomas was full of surprises; Angelica couldn't risk that one of those surprises would damage Alexander's reputation on national television. "Are you accusing the president of inappropriate conduct?"

"Sure." Thomas agreed, leaning back in his chair thoughtfully. "Though, of course, that's not my purpose for being here."

"And what is your purpose for being here?" Angelica was losing her patience.

"To announce that I'm seeking the presidency next year," Thomas grinned at Angelica lazily.

"No shit?"

"What was that?" Thomas asked with a laugh as one of Angelica's producers spluttered behind camera.

Angelica shook her head, her face growing red. "Oh, I apologize, viewers. Um, Mr. Vice President, are you saying that you are announcing your candidacy while serving as the vice president to a president who is supported across party lines?"

"I'm not."

"What?"

"Assuming that President Adams accepts the letter of resignation that I left on his desk before departing for the news station, I feel that I can safely say that I am no longer the Vice President of the United States," Thomas explained loftily. "Effective immediately, I am nothing more than a candidate for next year's elections."

Angelica's mouth was dry. She had been rendered speechless. Thomas was usually so calculating. It was so unlike him to do something so spontaneous. Though, Angelica had no reason to think that this was spontaneous, other than the strange nature of the announcement. For all she knew, Thomas had been plotting this moment since John Adams had won the elections. He probably had been.

"I, um…" This was why Angelica liked to prepare her questions. "Congratulations, then, Mr. Jefferson. Well, Anderson; there you have it. We have just heard former Vice President Jefferson's announcement that he intends to seek the presidency during next year's elections. Back to you."

"And we're clear!" The red light at the back of the room dimmed.

Quincy rushed the stage before the light was fully off. "Your ratings dropped - viewers don't like profanities. I think that we should draft a letter of apology. Maybe we take the angle that you actually said something other than 'shit,' but you had gum in your mouth, which skewed your words."

"Having gum in my mouth during a broadcast would be worse than swearing." Angelica dismissed Quincy's suggestion. "Don't worry about it; our ratings don't really matter now that we've got sole access to a candidacy announcement. Thomas, I…what the hell?"

Thomas laughed. "I told you that it would be worth it."

"I'll say," Angelica sighed, shaking her head. "Come back to my dressing room. I'll make you a drink."

"It's the least you can do." Thomas agreed.

"What about all of the interns?" Quincy demanded, gesturing to the young adults milling about. "Don't you need to dismiss them or something?"

"Oh, right." Thomas tilted a grin before standing up from his seat and approaching the group. "Okay, I promised you all that you would see a piece of history. Now you have. Go home."

"He isn't serious," Quincy mumbled, looking at Thomas disdainfully.

"Lighten up," Angelica advised him with a small smile. Quincy frowned back at her. "I know that what he did to your father wasn't okay, but do not let the affect your job performance. Trust me, I know he's an asshole. He's done stuff to my family, too. I haven't thrown away my professionalism over it, and now look. We've got exclusive access to that announcement. It all pays off in the long run."

"Of course, Mrs. Church." Quincy mumbled, glowering down at the ground.

"Angie, how about that drink?" Thomas ambled over to where they were standing, grinning at them both arrogantly.

"Take the day, Quincy." Angelica nodded to her assistant with a sympathetic smile. She then turned to Thomas, forcing herself to be charming. "You, follow me."

"Absolutely." Thomas followed at Angelica's heels eagerly, smiling around at everyone he passed. The announcement seemed to have caused a major attitude change for him. He looked impossibly taller.

When they reached Angelica's dressing room, she poured him a rum and coke. She was generous with the rum. She hoped that it might mellow Thomas out a bit. She handed him the glass before holding up her own.

"Cheers."

"Cheers." Thomas agreed before downing most of his drink in one gulp. He then looked Angelica over critically. "Now that we're behind doors, what do you really think of my announcement? Be honest."

"I think it's arrogant." Angelica shrugged, taking a sip of her own drink. "You quit your position without even an indicia that you would be elected."

"Will you vote for me?"

"I don't know the other candidates yet." Angelica looked down at her drink for a minute. "Did you really retain Alex?"

"He's a good lawyer," Thomas admitted begrudgingly, swallowing the rest of his drink. "I have a sneaking suspicion that John Adams won't take this lying down."

"Why couldn't you just resign like a normal person?"

"Because he made me defend his fucking First Amendment violations for three years."

"Petty."

"Well, darling, I've never tried to hide that particular character flaw of mine."

"Hm."

"What?"

"I don't think there's anything more horrific than hearing that someone you went to high school with is running for president," Angelica mused, looking down at her drink again. "I never thought it would be you."

"You always thought that it would be Hamilton." Thomas rolled his eyes in disgust.

"No." Angelica looked up at Thomas, frowning. "I thought it would be me."

 **Rewind**

"Annie, we won't survive a second term."

"You're being dramatic."

" _I_ won't survive it, then." Alexander huffed, pacing the length of the oval office. Angelica stayed where she was, sprawled across the couch watching him agonize over the Federalist Society's most recent phone call. "Why can't I just retire? I'd be happy to settle for writing editorials and doing interviews with news stations. It would still be enough to influence the public without actually being responsible for the big decision."

"You want to retire at forty years old?" Angelica asked cynically.

"I'll write for the papers," Alexander emphasized, still pacing. "Maybe I'll even write a book on economic theories. Ex-presidents are always writing books. It isn't as though we're hurting for money, anymore. And you could go back to work! I could stay home with Aaron while you achieve whatever it is that you haven't achieved yet. Maybe you can call the Society and tell them that you'd like to run for president, instead."

"If you say no, they'll approach Nate first," Angelica reminded him. "It's common courtesy."

"Then be his running mate and wait for your turn."

"No."

"I don't want Aaron growing up here." Alexander switched his tactics. "He's still young enough that he doesn't mind being on the front page of every magazine every time as he so much as blinks, but if I run for a second term, he'll have started school. Do you really want Secret Service to have to escort him to his first-grade class?"

"That wouldn't be a problem if I ran for president, though?" Angelica arched an eyebrow. "Or do you just think I'd never win – problem avoided?"

Alexander let out a frustrated noise. "If you really wanted it – really wanted to be president, we could manage it. We could send him to a boarding school, where the press couldn't possibly have access to him. But if you have no interest whatsoever, I would rather give him the chance to have a normal childhood. I don't want to have to run a background check on any friend that he wants to bring home from school!"

"George is handling it just fine," Angelica pointed out.

"George is an exceptional case." Alexander shook his head. "George knows better than to complain. He knows that his father's future is in our hands and that he is a guest in this country and has no say in the matter."

"That's not true, and you know it. If he said that it was too much for him, you would offer him a boarding school option in a second." Angelica protested.

"That's because he isn't my son." Alexander lowered his voice; George was known to eavesdrop around the White House. "He's here as a favor to Laf. I don't have to worry about the quality of education that he's getting – only that he's getting it. I could send him to the first boarding school I find within a ten-mile radius of here and not have to think about it again until his graduation date. With Aaron, we would have to scour the Earth for the best possible school. We would have to make sure they were treating him properly, that they minded his peanut allergy, that…"

"George doesn't mind the press, and neither will Aaron." Angelica was not up for this argument. "Not if we manage it properly. If we teach him how to behave at events and make sure that the press doesn't get too invasive with personal matters, he'll be fine."

"I just…" Alexander stuck his hands in his pockets, slowing his pacing. "I don't want the kind of kids that every politician here seems to have. I want him to feel normal, not like he's just another pawn on the political landscape. I want him to be able to have a dog, I want him to be able to go camping with the Scouts, I want to be able to chaperone his field trips…"

"He might not want you to chaperone his field trips." Angelica tried to smile. "George never does."

"That's because reporters always ask me where George's father is when he's seen with me." Alexander bit back without much malice. "The poor boy doesn't want to think about his father any more than he has to. I don't blame him. The poor bastard's been stuck in Austria for years."

"I just think -"

"Hold on." Alexander's pacing ended abruptly when he caught sight of something on the TV. He crossed the room and unmuted it, his eyebrows furrowed and his thumbnail braced between his teeth.

Angelica turned to look at what was distracting him so much. Unsurprisingly, it was an interview that Thomas Jefferson was giving Fox News.

"Yes," Thomas was saying, smiling cheerfully. There was a young woman by his side. She was also smiling cheerfully. "That's right, Meghan. This year, I will be announcing my candidacy with James Madison as my running mate."

"Fuck," Alexander knelt down before the TV, considering his options.

Angelica just smiled. Thomas could not have chosen a better time to announce that he was running for president.

"Call Pendleton." Alexander turned to look at her, frowning. "Tell him that we're going to have to do this one last time."

* * *

"Alexander," Thomas and Alexander crossed paths for the first time since announcing their respective candidacies at a charity benefit hosted by George Washington. "Aren't you getting a little tired of politics?"

"Not even a little bit." Alexander lied. He quickly turned his attention to the young woman standing beside Thomas, the one that Angelica had seen on TV just weeks before when Thomas had announced that he would be running for the first time. "Why don't you introduce me to your date?"

"Why? So that you can run off with her when I'm giving my speech?" Thomas smiled like he was joking, but Angelica knew that he wasn't. It was unlikely that he would ever get over his inadequacy with women when compared to Alexander. Angelica looked around the ballroom and pretended not to notice Thomas' failed joke. "You'd be hard-pressed to convince her. This is my wife, Martha. Martha, this is the enemy."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Martha was soft-spoken, smiling apologetically at Alexander. It was likely not the first time that Thomas had fumbled such an introduction to her expense. Her soft brown eyes turned to rest on Angelica. "You must be Angelica Hamilton. I've heard so much about you."

Angelica wrinkled her nose. "I can't imagine that any of the things you heard were very good."

"I heard that you're a genius," Martha assured her, placing a delicate hand over Angelica's own ink-stained and calloused hand. "Everyone at parties always talks about how they wish they could get you to be a campaign manager for the Republican party. Tom's campaign manager also gave me dozens of pictures of you when I was putting together my campaign wardrobe. I apologize in advance if we show up to the next event wearing the same exact dress – I feel like I own half of your closet!"

"Hm." Angelica smiled as politely as she could. "Perhaps you and I should go shopping together – I could tell you what I would buy without buying it, so you'll own pieces similar to mine without having to worry about clashing."

Thomas' wife was nice. She was somewhat disappointed by that. A haughty woman who pretended that she didn't exist seemed much simpler. She could hate Thomas' wife and never have to worry about why.

"Would you really be interested in doing that?" Martha's eyes lit up.

"Patcy, I really don't think that's such a good idea." Thomas was looking at Angelica like she had threatened his wife's life. "I'm sure that Angelica is too busy to really put much time into shopping. Isn't that right, Angelica?"

"Um, no, I'm not too busy," Angelica answered tentatively. "But of course, you shouldn't feel obligated to…"

"I would love to." Martha didn't let go of her hand. Angelica wished that she would let go of her hand. "Our husbands' campaigns don't mean that we can't spend a little quality time together, does it?"

"Of course not." Yes, it did. "Um, Tom, why don't you give Martha my number? We'll set everything up later. I just need to go say hi to Nathaniel Pendleton's wife over there…" Angelica pulled her hand out of Martha's grasp and pulled Alexander away from the mess before Martha could find another reason to make them stay.

"Why did you offer to go shopping with her?" Alexander asked indignantly.

"What was I supposed to do? I was just trying to be polite. That's what you do at these events – act polite and invite each other to do things that neither of you wants to do, knowing that the other will find an excuse not to. I didn't think that she would take me up on my offer! No one ever has before. She is definitely new to politics."

"What are you going to do?" Alexander asked, grabbing two glasses of champagne from a server's tray as the server walked by. He handed one to Angelica. Angelica downed it in a single gulp.

"I guess I have to go shopping with her." She answered dismally. "Think that you can watch Aaron for a few hours sometime next week?"

Alexander shrugged. "I think I can swing it. He's still fascinated by his train set, right?"

"No," Angelica shook her head, looking around for more champagne. "He's moved on to typewriters."

"Typewriters?" Alexander looked at her in surprise. "Where did he even find one?"

"We visited Tom Hanks briefly," Angelica waved her hand dismissively. "I got him a cheap one at a thrift store downtown. It doesn't work, I think he just likes the sound it makes. It's very loud. Don't expect to get a lot of phone calls done when you're watching him."

"Maybe he's ready to learn how to write."

"He's four."

"He already has a lot to say to us," Alexander reminded her thoughtfully.

Angelica rolled her eyes. "He's four."

"He's a prodigy."

"You are the only one who is saying that." Angelica rolled her eyes. "Last week he cried because I wouldn't let him eat goose poop."

"It's hard to work with geniuses." Alexander chuckled.

"Can we take our seats yet?" Angelica eyed the bar wearily. Thomas' wife was drawing near again. She was taking shots – Angelica saw her do two; she'd probably done more than that while Angelica was not looking – while Thomas said something to her. Neither of them looked particularly happy. "I don't want to get caught up in whatever that is."

"Yeah, let's move." Alexander placed his hand on the small of Angelica's back and guided her towards their table. They were seated with Nathaniel Pendleton – who Angelica was getting sick and tired of talking to – and a handful of other people who worked on Alexander's cabinet.

"You made it," George Washington stopped by their table while making the rounds. He looked genuinely happy to see them – the same could not be said of the other guests. "I thought you might be too busy to take a night off and join us here."

"Thought, or hoped?" Alexander joked, standing up to shake George's hand.

"Smartass," George said fondly. "How is little George getting by in the White House?"

"He's okay," Alexander remarked. Angelica let him answer – he knew more about both boys growing up under their noses than she did. "Misses Laf, of course, but he understands his position there. He's a good kid."

George nodded. "Martha and I would've taken him in, but with Jacky, his wife, and his kids, we're kind of –"

"Don't worry about it." Alexander smiled as best he could. He always got a bit sensitive when George spoke of Jacky – Martha's real son. Alexander always thought that he was slighted when placed beside Jacky. He felt that Aaron never got the same appreciation that Jacky's daughter, Nellie, got. He thought that he was a second-class citizen within the Washington family and couldn't help but resent Jacky for it. "I completely understand."

"How is Nellie?" Angelica tried to distract everyone from the strained smile that George pretended not to notice. "I've been meaning to call and see if you all would be interested in setting her up on a playdate with Aaron."

George and Martha had inherited Jacky's kids following his vicious divorce. Jacky succumbed to alcoholism – among other addictions – while his ex-wife took off to find a new husband. Their two children, Nellie and Washy, had moved into Mount Vernon to live with George and Martha. Neither complained at any point, but it was obviously a strain on their marriage.

"Of course." George said pleasantly. "We're always happy to have Aaron. Why don't you bring him by sometime next week? I'm sure the fresh air would be good for him. He might appreciate giving Secret Service the slip, too."

"Hm…can I come, too? I'm tired of being under constant scrutiny." Angelica joked.

"You'll be free of all of this soon enough," George assured her. "Appreciate it. You'll miss the little things, like not having to pay someone to make you French fries in the middle of the night."

"Didn't you get the memo? We dropped the 'French' and are just calling them 'fries' now, in protest of the government's policy to support the French rebels." Alexander murmured, rolling his eyes. "Even McDonald's is finding some way to lash out at me."

"You're doing the best that you can, son." George put a hand on Alexander's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "The people can't ask for more than that."

"Oh, they're trying to." Alexander was quite obviously disillusioned with the presidency.

"Mrs. Hamilton?" Martha Jefferson had found her way over to their table. She stood behind George, her makeup smudged, her lips knocking against each other nervously, and her drink wobbling in her hand. She was drunk. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure." Angelica exchanged concerned looks with Alexander. "Just let me finish this conversation with -"

"I know that you used to have an affair with my husband." Martha's voice reached a squeaky decibel that caused everyone in the room to look at her. In her drunken state, she didn't notice.

"Annie." Alexander shook his head.

"I'm on it." Angelica sighed, standing up and grabbing Martha's tiny hand. She all but dragged the young woman out of the ballroom, into the hotel lobby where members of Secret Service were enjoying some of the rejected appetizers from the benefit.

"I know about you," Martha said as soon as they were isolated from the public. A fresh batch of tears threatened to ruin her makeup further. Her lips were still trembling, messing up the annunciation of each word. "Tom told me everything. How you cheated on your husband…how you treated him like he was nothing…"

"Are you mad at me, or are you mad at him?" Angelica did not have much patience for a sobbing wife at a gala, presently.

Martha looked like she wanted to answer the way she ought to, but a sob got the better of her. Blessedly, she turned away as her eyes scrunched up and her mouth opened to emit a terrible, shuddering noise. It was hard to be sympathetic to the woman when she was acting in such a manner.

"I hate you." She managed.

"No, you don't." Angelica sighed.

"Did you know?" Again, Martha tried to tack the blame on Angelica.

"Know about what?" Angelica asked impatiently.

"That Thomas was _queer_." Martha spat.

"What?" Angelica raised an eyebrow.

"Don't pretend that you don't know," Martha snarled, her voice like that of a wounded animal. "Everyone is always pretending that they don't know – like I'm the crazy one because I actually dare to bring it up. I've seen him and James Madison together. I know what they do when they think that no one is looking."

"I don't think that you should be talking about this in public." Angelica lowered her voice, looking around for any sign that someone might be listening in. "I think that you should go home and have this discussion with Thomas."

"Oh, right, like he'll even _answer_ me." Martha was flirting with hysteria now. "The only time he even pretends that I'm his equal is at these sorts of things. I'm just here to…to _perform_. This isn't a marriage, it's a Broadway show!"

Angelica sighed, looking around for Thomas. He needed to take his wife home before someone else heard her. She was embarrassing them both.

"There you are!" Alexander and Thomas materialized in the doorway. Alexander gestured to Martha in a manner that indicated that he had brought Thomas to the lobby for the sole purpose of getting his affairs in order. "Come on, I'm calling you a cab. You're going home."

"No, I'm not!" Martha was ready to have a fight in front of everyone at the benefit. "You just want to send me away, now that I'm not being the perfect, charming wife that you want me to pretend to be. Guess what, Tom? You're not the perfect husband! The perfect husband doesn't have sex with his _running mate_ in the _shed_ during our _cocktail party_."

Alexander snorted.

Thomas turned to look at him, his eyes flaming.

"Sorry. I'll just…" Alexander pretended to look around for the door to avoid Thomas' anger.

"Martha, would you please let me call you a cab?" Thomas turned to look at Martha again. "You're making a scene."

"Oh, and we can't have that, can we?" Martha jeered, her eyes wild.

"What's going on?" James Madison opened the door from behind Alexander, causing Alexander to stumble backward. Secret Service tensed up. James looked at them like a deer in the headlights. Alexander waved off their concern.

"You!" Martha let out a shrill, hysterical laugh. "Of course, you show up. You can't stay away, can you?"

"Jamie, go back to the party." Thomas commanded, tight-lipped.

"But what's –"

"Go."

"No, he should stay." Martha's lips trembled, her mascara cascading down her face. "He should hear this, too. I'm done with this, Thomas. I won't stand around and let you treat me this way. I'm worth more than this."

Thomas looked around, his face red. He turned back to Martha, towering over her. "We will discuss this at home."

"I don't want to go home. I want to stay and talk." Martha insisted tearfully.

"Annie." Alexander tilted his head, looking Angelica over appraisingly. "I think that we'd better say goodbye to George."

"I agree." Angelica scrambled forward, eager to get out of the uncomfortable situation.

"No!" Martha realized that she was losing her audience. "Did you love her, Thomas? Do you still love her?"

"It was nice seeing you, Angelica." Thomas glanced at Angelica before turning to glower at Martha. Angelica couldn't help but feel bad for Martha – it was obvious that she would be feeling Thomas' wrath the moment that they were out of the public eye. It was also obvious that their marriage had its fair share of problems – most of them being Thomas' fault. Angelica knew what that was like.

"You too, Tom." Angelica watched Martha as she spoke. "Be nice to her."

She followed Alexander back into the ballroom before either Thomas or Martha could say another word. James attempted to follow them, but a few taut words from Thomas kept him stationed where he was.

Alexander led Angelica through the party, ignoring several people attempting to introduce or ingratiate themselves. They made a beeline for George, who was contentedly speaking with one of the caterers about the proper way to sear a lamb.

"Hey, George. We're going to take off," Alexander explained sheepishly, absently jerking his thumb back in the direction of the lobby. "We've got some things that we need to take back at the House – you know, kids and the country and all."

"I remember those days, yes." George chuckled, shaking Alexander's hand again. Angelica pretended that the formality wasn't strange. "Good luck, Alexander. Don't work too hard."

"I don't think that's an option, sir." Alexander chuckled.

* * *

"I think the major question is Mr. Hamilton's loyalty to his constituents," Since George's party, Alexander and Thomas had forgone all civility to one another. Thomas was constantly lashing out about Alexander in the papers. "Jefferson" was Alexander's third most Tweeted word. Now that they were at their final debate before election day, things were reaching their peak of unpleasantness. "I don't think that anyone needs reminding of Mr. Hamilton's disloyalty in the past."

"What do you mean by that?" Alexander demanded sharply. He was just waiting to expose Thomas' relationship – if one could even call it a relationship – with James Madison. He knew that Thomas' wife could be convinced to corroborate the story.

"I mean that you have a dubious track record," Thomas looked at Alexander warily. "Between John Laurens, Aaron Burr, and the plight of Gilbert Lafayette, you have repeatedly shown yourself to put your own survival between that of your friends."

"How dare you?" Alexander snarled, his entire posture stiffening.

"Excuse me," The mediator interjected, looking between Thomas and Alexander with unapologetic hunger. "Mr. Jefferson, are you suggesting that President Hamilton is responsible for the death of John Laurens and Aaron Burr?"

"I am." Thomas looked straight at Alexander, his mouth curved into a sneer. "John Laurens was murdered in a bar fight, started by Mr. Hamilton himself. Instead of calming removing his friends from the situation and consequently danger, he allowed Mr. Laurens to get in over his head, tragically resulting in his death. As for Aaron Burr, well…I think we all know what role the Hamiltons played in his death."

There were murmurs in the crowd.

"I think that this is a good time to take a break," The moderator decided, looking from Thomas to Alexander warily. It was clear that Alexander was going to explode. CNN had learned to give Alexander time to recompose himself before responding to an answer; they had learned from the mistake that they had made with Aaron Burr.

"I can't believe that you made me do this again," Alexander snarled at Angelica, skulking backstage and away from Thomas. "I told you that I didn't fucking want to do this again! This has always been the problem with you. You have _always_ had too much ambition for me!"

" _I've_ had too much ambition for _you_?" Angelica choked on his words. "I may push you sometimes, but that is only because _you won't_. You have the exact same ambitions that I do – the only difference is that I know how to get it for you. If you think that this is too much for you, go ahead: drop out. Don't you dare say that I did this against your will, though. You wanted this just as badly as I did. You just didn't want to ask for it."

"Oh, you think you know every fucking thing about -"

"Oh." Eliza's startled voice prompted both Angelica and Alexander to whip around. Eliza had brought Aaron with her backstage. Aaron had insisted on going to the debate that night – he was not thrilled about his parents leaving him with Aunt Eliza every other night since the campaign began. Eliza was likely bringing him backstage to say goodnight before she took him home. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt…"

"Hey, kiddo." Alexander forced himself to smile, kneeling to Aaron's height.

"You didn't interrupt anything," Angelica assured Eliza, watching Aaron toddle into Alexander's waiting arms. "You know how these things can go."

"Thankfully, I don't." Eliza smiled, collecting Aaron from Alexander. Alexander was reluctant to let him go. "Goodnight, you two."

"Goodnight, Betsey." Alexander sighed, looking over at Angelica. He smiled at her apologetically.

"Night," Angelica contributed.

Eliza smiled at them both before whisking Aaron away.

As the pair disappeared, Alexander and Angelica received notice that they only had a minute until the debate would air again. Alexander turned to look at Angelica, running a hand through his hair.

"Annie, I just don't know if I can survive this again," He said, his voice lowered now. It seemed that Aaron's appearance had mellowed him out. Angelica was grateful to Eliza for her impeccable timing. "I don't know if _we_ can survive this again. It might kill me."

"You know that I won't do anything that you aren't comfortable with," Angelica promised softly, batting his hands away and running her hand through his hair. He leaned into her touch. "If you want to quit, you can go out there and hand the presidency to Thomas. If you want to keep going, Aaron and I will be right here beside you the whole time."

Alexander looked at Angelica, a reluctant smile spreading across his face. "I can't just let Jefferson run this country. He'd kill us all."

"And we're on in ten! Nine…eight…"

"Then I suggest that you get out there," Angelica advised, straightening Alexander's tie with a fond smile. "And stop playing into Thomas' tricks. He's just trying to get you to look like the crazy, short-tempered president. Don't give him the satisfaction."

 **A/N: Thank you all for your kind reviews. I know that this story isn't perfect - boy, do I know that this story is not perfect - but it was a labor of love and I'm so glad at least a few of you are enjoying reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**


	33. Chapter 33

"The numbers are too close to tell," Anderson remarked, frowning at the teleprompter just beside one of the several cameras. Angelica paced behind the cameras, her fingernails digging into her arms. "With primaries two days away, it is anyone's guess as to who the Republican candidate will be: Aaron Burr, or Thomas Jefferson."

Angelica sighed and took her bag from Quincy, who was scowling beside her. Since election season had begun, Quincy's attitude had started to rear its ugly head. His loyalties were divided between CNN and his father. Angelica had chosen to ignore it for the time being, but had paperwork from Human Resources in her desk just in case.

"Who do you think is going to win?" Quincy asked as they both neared the exit.

"I don't know," Angelica sighed.

"Who do you want to win?"

"I'm not supposed to want anyone to win," Angelica reminded him, gesturing around the near-empty halls of the station. "We're supposed to be non-biased."

"Well, yeah, but…"

"Quincy," Angelica disapproved, shaking her head. "I know that this feels personal to you, but we have talking about bias interfering with work. If we have to have this conversation another time, it will be on your way out of this building. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mrs. Church." Quincy's face reddened with shame.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Mrs. Church."

* * *

Two hours before voting for the primaries began, Quincy came running into Angelica's office. She looked up, startled. There wasn't supposed to be a crisis that day. She had the day off. She was only hanging around the office to learn who was the winner of the primaries in order to get started on lining up her segment the day after.

"Yes, she's here!" Quincy spoke into a walkie-talking. That meant that he was running some kind of ridiculous errand for one of the producers. Angelica glanced down at her clothes; she was not dressed for television. She frowned at Quincy. "Mrs. Church, the producers have asked to see you."

"What? Why?"

"Mr. Hamilton is on the phone with Mr. Brookes; he's saying that he'll only talk to you."

"Why didn't Devon just transfer him straight through?" Angelica asked irritably, standing up and following Quincy towards the elevators.

"Mr. Hamilton is offering to come in for an exclusive interview," Quincy explained hastily. "Mr. Brookes tried to set it up with Anderson, but Mr. Hamilton says that he'll only do an interview with you. Mr. Brookes wanted to ensure that the interview was something that would be beneficial to CNN, but also wanted to discuss whether you would be willing to work today."

"When is Alex talking about coming in?" Angelica's eyes widened in horror.

"Straight away," Quincy looked at Angelica's attire, frowning. "Your hair and makeup person is too far away to make it in time. You would have to go on as-is."

"Devon," Angelica stormed into the producer in question's office without knocking. Two of the other producers were sitting in chairs on the other side of Devon Brooke's desk. Devon was glowering down at his phone. Presumably, Alexander was on the other line. "What the hell is going on? I am obviously not ready to do an interview today."

"Is that Angelica?" Alexander's voice was muffled on speakerphone.

Devon glanced at Angelica before picking up the phone so that Alexander's voice would no longer be heard by the entirety of the room. "Yes, Mr. Hamilton. My assistant will put you on hold while we discuss your proposition with her."

"I can't do an interview today." Angelica folded her arms across her chest, glaring at Devon. "My assistant told me that I wouldn't get hair or makeup. Do you know what that would do for my career?"

"Nothing that turning forty hasn't already done," Devon grumbled, typing something into his desktop before looking at Angelica critically. "Hamilton says that he has information regarding Aaron Burr which could seriously impact the primaries."

"And it's credible?"

"He's never given us trouble before," Devon shrugged. "And he is your brother-in-law."

"Shit," Angelica hissed. "When are we filming?"

"The moment he gets here. We need this out before primaries begin."

"He really won't even work with Anderson? He loves Anderson."

"He says that he'll only speak with you."

"Fine." Angelica sighed, slumping her shoulders. "What stage do I need to get to?"

"6F." Devon's face relaxed with relief. "I'll have questions sent to your assistant, but from what Mr. Hamilton has said, you won't be needing them. It sounds like he just wants the airtime to talk about whatever the hell it is he's got on Burr."

"Alright," Angelica was growing tired of the men in her life taking advantage of her position at CNN. "Just call me when he's here."

* * *

Angelica didn't have time to speak with Alexander before the broadcast, nor did she have time to prep any questions. So, as he walked onto the stage and fussed with the microphone placed on the collar of his shirt, she looked him over inquisitively.

"Thank you for joining us, Mr. Hamilton." She glanced at the camera uncomfortably. Alexander looked terrible. He looked like he hadn't eaten - or slept - in days. His clothes were wrinkled. There were bags under his eyes. His eyes no longer sparkled, they were just black. His posture was slumped. He was a shell of the man that Angelica had once known.

"Please," Despite all of this, Alexander attempted a smile. It was pitiful. "Annie, everyone knows that we're related. Call me Alex."

"Okay," Angelica sighed, fidgeting with her papers. "Alex. What brings you here?"

"Thank you, Annie." Alexander nodded to Angelica before turning to look at the camera. His expression sobered impossibly further. "Hello, America. I'm here to talk about candidate Aaron Burr. Most of you know him as the charismatic figure sweeping the North - New York's own Senator. I'm here to tell you about the Aaron Burr that I know. The one that hijacked my bill and took advantage of my son's death to slip a modification past me which gave him unlicensed authority to create a bank in New York. Most of you may remember this bank - it was responsible for losing millions of dollars belonging to New York's lower class. You may not know that Aaron Burr was responsible for this. He distanced himself from it in a way which does merit some admiration."

Angelica looked at the cameramen in surprise. Someone should have warned her that Alexander was going to go off on a tangent like this. He sounded like a crazy person.

"Make no mistake, I do not like Thomas Jefferson," Alexander continued on like there was nothing strange about what he was saying. "We have disagreed on just about every subject we have discussed. That said, Aaron Burr and I have never disagreed once. That is because Thomas Jefferson has beliefs and stands for them. They are wrong in most conceivable ways and will not do the American public any favors, but it will provide a sense of stability and consistency. Aaron Burr has no beliefs. He has never consistently stood for the same beliefs. If elected president, Mr. Burr will act in his own best interests with no sense of beliefs or values guiding him. The country will be an afterthought."

Alexander turned to look at Angelica expectantly. Angelica looked down at the questions she'd scrawled down seconds before the camera turned on. They were all useless, now. Alexander had pretty much summed up all concerns that Angelica was thinking about addressing.

"Is that…I…" Angelica looked at Quincy in askance. He shrugged from a distance, equally clueless as to how to proceed. "Is that what you wanted to say today?"

"I realize that I probably rambled more than I ought to have," Alexander glanced at the camera with an apologetic smile. He was almost recognizable as the Alexander Hamilton that the public had seen years ago. "In so many terms, I would just say: Jefferson has beliefs. Burr has none."

"Thank you," Angelica needed to wrap this segment up before Alexander said anything worse in his tirade. "Um, okay, we're going to move to Erin, who is at the primaries in New York…"

The red light flicked off. Angelica let out a sigh of relief and relaxed. That relaxed posture only lasted a few seconds. As soon as the lights on stage dimmed and the lights behind stage came up, Angelica saw that Quincy was the only person not scrambling. She looked from Alexander to Quincy in baffled horror.

"Quincy, what's going on?"

"Senator Burr's numbers just nosedived," Quincy rushed the stage, showing Angelica some graph on his iPad. "I've never seen a drop like this before, it's…incredible. Unprecedented."

"And Betsey said that it wouldn't make a difference," Alexander hummed to himself from beside Angelica.

"Oh, my god." Angelica pinched her nose and sighed. "How much work has this interview just created for me?"

"You've gotten three-thousand tweets in the last two minutes." Quincy answered apologetically.

"Do you mind if I stay here for a while?" Alexander chose that moment to make an additional request. Angelica could have killed him. "See how all of this turns out?"

"Uh, sure." Angelica was already looking through the iPad that Quincy had handed her. Her social media replies were impossible to keep up with. She tried to sift through to find replies that came from politicians or influencers. "You can stay in my dressing room. I don't know when I'm going to be done with all of this. You've created some work for me, Alex."

"Wish I could say I was sorry," Alexander cast Angelica a small smile before standing up and removing his microphone. He handed it to Quincy. "Let me know if you need any help."

"Mm," Angelica almost smiled. "I think that a bit of help from you would create mounds of work for me. Quincy, would you please show Alex to my dressing room? Then I'll need you in my office to help me with all of this."

"Of course, Mrs. Church."

"Angelica Schuyler," Whether Alexander was correcting Quincy or just continuing on with his lunacy, Angelica didn't know. She didn't think to check. She just smiled at Alexander sardonically before collecting as many of her things as she could and moving towards her office.

* * *

Angelica wasn't finished working until twelve hours later, when all of the voting booths were finally closed down. She felt disgusting - she was overdue for a shower and hadn't eaten anything other than almonds that she had stashed in her desk drawer.

Once she was finally done with the workday, she headed down to her dressing room. She kept a change of clothes in there, and would most likely be able to bully Quincy into stepping out to get something to eat for her and the interns that Devon had made her hire during winter break.

She was surprised to find Alexander in her dressing room. He was talking to her interns. He was perched on the corner of Angelica's desk, his arms folded across his chest and a smile on his face. He was answering their questions, from what Angelica could hear from her hiding place in the hallway, like they were his equals. He was having conversations with them, unlike Thomas, who had just walked around with interns at his feet like a small herd of sheep.

"What was it like being the Secretary of the Treasury?" Bobby, one of Angelica's more precocious interns, inquired eagerly. "Was it really a lot of work, or did you just delegate most of it to your interns?"

Alexander laughed. Angelica hadn't heard him laugh in so long. Angelica smiled to herself and leaned against the edge of the doorway, where the occupants of her dressing room wouldn't see her.

"No, I'm afraid that I didn't really trust my interns enough to let them do anything other than pick up something to eat," Alexander answered good-naturedly. "They weren't smart, like you guys."

"What did you do?" Dana, a gorgeous intern who Angelica suspected was trying to flirt her way to the top, chimed in. Angelica could just about imagine the looks that she was casting Alexander. "I mean, like, what does the Secretary of the Treasury actually do?"

"I managed a little thing I like to call the economy," Alexander replied, amused. "Though both Republicans and Federalists would both like to argue that - for better or worse - the country is a capitalist one, it's not."

He almost sounded like the boy from high school who kept a notebook of all of the ways that he was going to change the world.

"But what does that mean?" Dana persisted. "I mean, like, walk me through what a typical day would be like for you."

"Well, I would usually show up at the office at four in the morning."

"Holy shit!" Ralph, Angelica's favorite intern, exclaimed. Angelica liked Ralph because he never tried to impress anyone. He was a wide-eyed kid from the Midwest who didn't know to regulate his emotions. " _That_ early? Why?"

"I had a lot to get done." Alexander answered simply. "Anyway, I'd get to the office and no one would be there. I loved when there was no one in the office yet. No one could bother me with their questions or problems. That was when I got the most work done. I'd prepare reports for Congress, explaining what the perimeters of their budget needed to be annually. I'd correspond with banks internationally to make sure that they were complying with the terms that I had set for them. By the time I was finished with those things, people would start coming into my office to ask me things. I had a lot of appointments to keep throughout the day. I recommend keeping _Economics for Dummies_ on your desk when you all get your first office, folks. You have no idea how often you'll need to reference it to politicians who haven't done their homework."

"Mrs. Church!" Quincy spotted Angelica from the other side of the hallway. He was carrying a small stack of papers; signed approval forms from the producers. His voice carried through the hallway, causing a whisper to erupt among the interns. They were all afraid to speak around Angelica. It was irritating. "Here you are, approval forms from the big guys. Er, are we done for the night? I mean, the ballots won't be counted until…"

"Go get pizza for everyone," Angelica instructed him, flipping through the approval sheets to make sure that everything had been cleared. "Enough for the interns to eat, too. We should have the numbers soon. I don't think that we'll need to report anything, but we need to wait from the all-clear upstairs."

"Of course, Mrs. Church." Quincy did his best to mask his disappointment. Angelica knew that he was missing an important party at his father's house. She couldn't allow herself to feel sympathy for him - he was an adult, at this point. "From the pizza place down the street?"

"Yes," Angelica wandered into her dressing room and fished her wallet out of one of her bags. She smiled at Alexander and the interns momentarily before returning to Quincy in the hallway. "Thank you, Quincy."

Quincy just nodded, disappearing back down the hallway.

"No results, yet?" Alexander asked Angelica as she stepped into her dressing room. Angelica looked around at the interns surrounding them. They'd been so talkative a moment ago; now they were all doing their best to avoid meeting eyes with Angelica.

"Not yet," Angelica affirmed. "But please, don't let me interrupt your conversation. I only caught the tail-end of what you were saying, but it sounded to me like you were doling out some useful advice. Take my word on it, guys, you could all stand to learn from Alex."

"Um…" Brady, one of the shyer interns, spoke up for the first time since Angelica had met him. She was afraid that if she turned to look at him - even in surprise - he would clam up again. "Was it scary working for the president?"

"No scarier than working for Angelica, I'm sure," Alexander afforded Angelica an attempt at a smile before turning to look at Brady again. The interns laughed nervously. Angelica smiled indulgently. "No, I have never been intimidated by the president. I would consider it an honor, but not necessarily scary. That could also be because the first president that I served under was also my father, for all intents and purposes. It's a lot less stressful to work for a man that you know is going to see you for dinner on Friday nights whether you fuck up a spreadsheet or not…"

As Alexander spoke, his phone - which he had left lying on the desk that he was perched on - lit up with a notification. Nosy as she was, Angelica was unable to resist reading the message that he had gotten at this hour of the night.

It was from Aaron Burr. It just said, **You'll pay for this**.

 **Rewind**

"You know something?" Alexander drew Angelica's attention away from a plate of overly fancy h'orderves.

"I know a lot of things." Angelica teased, opting out of eating something that looked like an architect had crafted it. "What are you asking about in particular?"

"We've never been to one of these parties before." Alexander gestured around the lavish ballroom surroundings. "At least, not for my presidency. We spent the last election night in the hospital with Aaron."

"Mm, I kind of wish that we were there," Angelica couldn't help but laugh as she looked around at the stuffy black-tie event. Everyone was craning their necks to look at them, hoping to get a chance to speak with Alexander before his term as president potentially ended. "This is terrible."

"Is it too late for us to ask Eliza to bring Aaron?" Alexander wondered aloud.

"You should probably talk to some of those people," Angelica sighed, avoiding a hopeful senator's eyes by looking down at her plate.

"No," Alexander looked at her in horror. "I just spent two hours shaking hands and thinking of different ways to talk about the catering. I cannot talk to those people anymore. Do not make me talk to those people."

"That's what the job entails. You know that." Angelica laughed, shaking her head. "Besides, we're stuck here for the rest of the night. What's the alternative?"

Alexander turned to look at her, his mouth curving into a smile that Angelica hadn't seen since high school.

Unable to resist smiling back, Angelica shook her head. "What's the matter with you?"

"We should leave."

"What?"

"We should just leave the party." Alexander didn't see anything wrong with leaving his own election-night party. "We don't like any of the people here, nothing of any political value is going to happen until these shitheads know that I'm going to be the president for another four years, and we're looking down the barrel of another four years of this. Why don't we take tonight off?"

"Where would we even go?" Angelica rolled her eyes. "If everyone saw us walking out with Secret Service, they would know that the party was over. Everyone would complain to the news outlets and no one would come to one of our parties ever again."

"I don't care. I hate these parties anyway. I hate this entire political climate. I just want everyone to leave me alone in my office and let me run this country in peace." Alexander shrugged.

"What do you propose that we do, if we're not here? An evening spent with Aaron and Eliza is nice, but a little anticlimactic."

"I can think of a place we might have some privacy." Alexander's eyes were alight with mischief. Angelica was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. "C'mon. Let's talk to George."

"George?" Angelica quirked an eyebrow.

"He's the resident expert of giving Secret Service the slip." Alexander grinned, taking her hand in his and leading her across the party.

"You never told me that." There had been countless times in which Angelica would have loved to avoid Secret Service.

"I was specifically instructed not to. George was fine with me risking life and limb, but not you." Alexander explained, chuckling. "I've spent four long years doing everything in my power not to think too much about that particular fact."

"About what fact?" George turned around as Angelica and Alexander approached. He was obviously just as bored as they were, standing beside Martha while she made polite conversation with one of his former cabinet members.

"Uh," Alexander smiled raffishly. "We're thinking about taking off early, but if everyone around here sees Secret Service following us out…"

"Say no more," George indulged them pleasantly. "I'll distract them for a moment. Only a moment, though, do you understand?"

"I know the drill." Alexander swiped a bottle of Chardonnay off the table next to them. Martha's conversation partner looked at him strangely as he tucked the bottle into his jacket. Alexander noticed her curious gaze and winked. Blushing, the woman returned her attention to Martha. "Annie, you coming?"

"Of course."

"Jamie, we'll be back in a few minutes," Alexander told his Chief of Staff.

The Chief of Staff took one look at them and smiled, knowing that neither of them would be back anytime soon. "Yes, Mr. President. Enjoy yourself."

Alexander didn't look away from Angelica as he spoke. "Oh, I will."

* * *

"George might kill you for this." Angelica remarked, her feet dipped in the pool of the fancy country club that George had been spending his time at since his retirement. "He loves this place almost as much as he loves Mount Vernon."

"We're not hurting anything." Alexander shook his head, taking a long swig of the Chardonnay. He wrinkled his nose as he handed it off to Angelica. "Ugh. How did we stomach that shit in college? It's awful."

"It's not so bad." Angelica looked at the Chardonnay fondly before setting it aside. She noticed her cell phone, sitting just to the side of the pool. She noticed the time and looked at Alexander, her lips tilted into a grin. "The votes are just about in by now. Do you think that you won?"

"I don't know." Alexander shrugged. "I'm not sure that I care."

He was drunk.

"You're drunk." Angelica accused.

"I think so," Alexander admitted. "But that doesn't mean that I'm not telling the truth."

"If you lost, Thomas would be the president."

"Oh, yeah. I guess I do care."

"Do you want me to check the results?"

"No." Alexander grabbed the bottle of Chardonnay. He grimaced as he took another long pull from it. "I want a few more hours like this. It's like Schrodinger's cat, you know? The world is safe because I'm the president, but I'm happy because I'm not the president."

"I think that's the first time you've used the Schrodinger's cat analogy correctly."

"Then tonight's been a victory already."

"I love you, Alex."

"I think that's the first time that you've said it first," Alexander remarked, looking Angelica over with great interest.

There was a burst of fireworks overhead. Angelica was glad. She hadn't known what to say. It was a rarity for her. The fireworks were shortly followed by the chant of: _Four more years! Four more years!_

"It sounds like you won," Angelica smirked at Alexander.

"Oh, boy," Alexander grumbled, pretending to be disheartened by the news. Angelica knew that it was all an act; he was delighted.

"Mr. President!" Coby, the head of Secret Service, barked from the entry of the country club. It wasn't long before the entire pool was surrounded by a cluster of men and women sporting black armor and weapons. "Mr. President, are you –"

"Fuck." Alexander sighed, staggering to his feet. The wine had obviously taken its effect while they were passing the bottle around the pool. "Guess I couldn't expect to avoid you guys all night."

"Mr. President, that extremely unsafe. You could have -"

"I know, I know." Alexander waved off Coby's imminent lecture. "I'm sorry, Coby. I just wanted a night out with my wife. If I'm expected to survive another four years of this, I needed it. I did win the election, didn't I?"

"You did, sir." Coby agreed at length.

"I feared as much." Alexander pretended to be much aggrieved, planting his hands on his hips and frowning down at the ground. When he looked up, he looked at Angelica. He was still frowning, but his eyes were dancing. "What do you think, Annie?"

"About what?"

"About the presidency," Alexander answered simply. "Think that we can do it all over again?"

"I don't know," Angelica replied with a shrug. "I hope so."

 **A/N: Two more chapters...**


	34. Chapter 34

Angelica hated to admit it, but Thomas' presidency was her favorite so far. It wasn't that she enjoyed his pro-farming subsidies or the taxes that they brought, nor was it that she thought his foreign policies were particularly enlightened. No, Angelica liked Thomas' presidency because he refused to sit down for an interview with anyone except for her. It did wonders for her career. Even Fox News had caved and offered to buy her out of her contract with CNN.

Thomas' presidency didn't go as well for Alexander. Though it was his impassioned speech which had forced Aaron Burr to drop out of the primaries and agree to be Thomas' vice president before the votes had been fully counted, it had lost any semblance of political influence that Alexander had left. No politician wanted to get close to the man who had gone on national television and rambled like a madman to avoid a former ally from getting elected. Alexander had no choice but to devote his time and attention to the gun control organization that Eliza had created in the months following Philip's death. Well, that and the newest Hamilton baby, aptly named Philip Jr.

It was precisely this organization which caused an argument to ruin a Sunday morning brunch that Eliza had worked so hard to orchestrate.

"Who was on the phone?" Alexander had asked her casually, spreading far too much butter on a piece of toast with a level of intensity that might have seemed inappropriate, had it been anyone else.

"Oh, it was, um," Eliza looked around at her guests nervously. "It was the vice president."

Alexander slammed his butter knife onto the table. His toast clattered back onto his plate, butter-side down. "And _why_ was he on the phone?"

"Be reasonable," Eliza always told him to be reasonable when she was preparing to ask him to do something she knew that he wouldn't want to do. "Why don't we discuss this in your office?"

Alexander's fists tightened as he rose from his chair. George and Martha looked at each other nervously as he followed Eliza out of the room. Junior slumped down in his seat, red-faced. Philip Jr. cooed. Angelica didn't bother looking at Church to see his reaction.

Though they attempted to speak in hushed tones that their guests couldn't hear, Alexander and Eliza's conversation very quickly dissolved into a screaming match. Angelica couldn't decipher which words were being said, but she could tell that they weren't friendly words purely from the way that they were being said.

After nearly ten minutes of arguing, Alexander and Eliza returned to the kitchen as though nothing had happened. Alexander looked a few minutes closer to death. Eliza was smiling graciously. Angelica looked at Junior sympathetically. He was pushing his eggs around his plate.

"Good news," Eliza said as she returned to her seat at the head of the table, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Alexander is going to assist Vice President Burr in a gun safety demonstration on July 12th. After the demonstration, we're hoping to get a meeting with him to discuss legislation on gun control."

"Good," George approved stiffly, very obviously knowing that Alexander was not happy with this arrangement. "That sort of legislation has been a long-time coming."

"Mm." Alexander stabbed at the sausage on his plate.

"Angelica," Eliza was quick to change the subject, knowing that her argument had created some discomfort around the brunch. "How is Johnny doing in school? He's just about graduated, hasn't he?"

"Oh, yeah." Angelica was relieved for a change in the subject. "He's thinking about graduate school. He's looked at a few law schools at his father's recommendation, but I don't think that's what he wants to study."

"He doesn't know what he wants to study." Church scoffed.

"He's twenty-two." Angelica rolled her eyes. "I think he has some idea at this point."

"I'm sure he'll figure it out," Eliza interjected peaceably. "He is such a smart boy."

"Mm." George agreed. "He already knows that he's always welcome to work for me until he figures out what he wants to do. I haven't had an employee of that quality since Alexander."

"I'm sure he'll be glad to know that," Angelica said, distracted by the look on Alexander's face. Despite the best efforts of everyone surrounding her, the conversation at hand couldn't distract her from the look in his eyes. He looked resigned, defeated. So unlike Alexander.

Alexander looked up at her, his eyes hollow.

It hurt to look at him.

* * *

After brunch, Angelica offered to help Alexander with the dishes while Church played football with Junior and Eliza put Philip Jr. down for his nap. Alexander blearily agreed. At this point, Angelica was fairly certain that he had given up arguing on everything.

"So, a safety demonstration with Burr," She cut right to the chase, hoping that she might be able to cheer Alexander up. "That sounds…wretched."

"I don't want to do it," Alexander agreed, scrubbing dishes furiously. "Neither does he. He obviously called because Jefferson put him up to it. Undoubtedly another punishment for his behavior during the campaign. I tried to tell Betsey that it was just Jefferson being an asshole, but she said that we needed to take advantage of it, whether it was a genuine offer or not."

"It will be a good way to get publicity." Angelica tried to help.

"It might be the one thing that pushes the legislature to act and get on top of this gun control issue," Alexander said, looking out of the window above the kitchen sink solemnly. He turned to look at Angelica. "That's what Betsey said. She said that if I did this, I might prevent someone else's son from getting shot."

"That's a lot of pressure."

"No kidding."

"I think that it can't hurt," Angelica didn't want to get in the middle of Alexander and Eliza's argument. She loved both of them far too much to do that. "I don't know that it'll start off a whole lot of legislation, but it's more proactive than sitting at home and writing another blog post."

"You said that you liked my blog posts." Alexander accused.

"I do," Angelica replied quickly. "I'm just saying - I think more people watch TV than check blogs every day. You'll get a bigger audience. If you do an interview right, maybe something good could come out of it. At the very least, you could talk more about how much you hate Aaron."

Alexander shook his head, the ghost of a smile on his face. He turned to Angelica. "Would you do it?"

"Do what?"

"The broadcast, for CNN. Would you do it? I could give you an interview afterward."

"Alex," Angelica protested. "You don't need me for that."

"I know, I just…" Alexander looked down at the dishes sheepishly. "It'll give you a reason to be there. That way, even if something comes up, it'll be a priority to you. I've never been a priority to you, Annie."

"That's not fair." Angelica protested.

"I don't have a right to be," Alexander continued immediately, holding his soapy hands up in resignation. "I know that. You have enough priorities in your life and I haven't at all earned it or given you a reason to consider me one of them. I'm not contesting any of that. It'd just feel nice to be one for a day, is all."

"You could have just asked."

"I couldn't risk you saying no." Alexander lowered his hands, looking at Angelica in a way that was almost familiar to her. "It would break my heart if you said no. Annie, you're…" He sighed. "Sometimes I feel like you're the only thing in my life that's still good. That I haven't fucked up just yet. No matter what has happened, what's ruined and what isn't, I've always…I've always loved you, Annie."

Angelica scooted over, her shoulder touching Alexander's as she dried the dishes that he washed. She couldn't bring herself to look up from the plate she was drying as she spoke.

"I don't think I'll ever stop loving you, Alex."

 **Rewind**

Angelica was forced to host a memorial on the fifth anniversary of Aaron Burr's death – since Alexander had won his second term, it fell squarely within her duty as the First Lady. She and Alexander had started a scholarship in Aaron's name years ago as part of their damage control. The first student to receive the scholarship had just graduated college and was attending the memorial. She had also been staying at the White House as Alexander's guest, but that was mostly for publicity.

Little Aaron had begged Angelica to take him to the memorial. He wasn't old enough to understand that he was attending a memorial on the anniversary of his namesake's death, but Lafayette's son, George – who was still staying at the White House during his father's exile – had told Aaron that the event had something to do with him. That had been all it took to convince little Aaron that he had just as much right to go to the memorial as Angelica did.

As he was responsible for Aaron's desire to attend the memorial, Angelica brought George along with them. He was to make sure that Aaron didn't get into too much trouble while Angelica was attending to her political duties. George had become something like a big brother to Aaron during his time in the country; no one could keep the little boy as well-behaved as George could.

The ceremony went off well. Aaron was obviously bored while Angelica gave her speech, but George kept him entertained by teaching him how to fold the itinerary pamphlet into various origami shapes. The recipient of the scholarship gave a decent enough speech – though the poor girl was obviously not a fan of public speaking – and discussed the research that she had done to further Aaron's legacy. Angelica fleetingly wondered what legacy she was referring to.

As the ceremony shifted into the memorial service, where everyone would be allowed to mill around and snack on finger foods, Angelica turned to look wistfully in the direction of the parking lot. When she did, she was surprised to see Lafayette walking towards her with that springy step of his.

She wasn't as surprised as George was.

She looked to the boy, gauging if he understood. He did. Sort of. He was staring at Lafayette in disbelief, like he was only an illusion. Angelica could see a question form on Aaron's lips – most likely asking George who the man who looked exactly like George was – George answered the question without looking away from Lafayette.

" _Mon fils_!" Lafayette called when he realized that he had attracted the attention of every person at the memorial without even trying. "Will you not come say hello to your father?"

"Papa?" George turned to look at Angelica in askance.

Angelica nodded, her mouth twisting into a smile. Lafayette's presence would only complicate the current political climate and the country's relationship with France, but Angelica was glad to see him all the same. His absence had weighed heavily on George during his stay in the White House. Seeing George stand up, still disbelieving, then suddenly committing to this reality and launching himself into his father's arms was enough to bring warmth into the coldest heart.

"Papa, is it really you?" George cried excitedly, burying his head into Lafayette's chest. "Are you here for good? Are we going back home?"

"I am here for good." Lafayette assured him, looking at Angelica with a strange mixture of delight and apology. "But we may not return to France just yet."

"I don't care, as long as you're here." George said with sudden ferocity. He turned to look at Angelica and Aaron. "Have you ever met Aaron?"

Aaron ducked behind Angelica's legs, peering out at Lafayette curiously. He was a shy boy; he liked Angelica, Alexander, Eliza, and George, but that was it. He was cautious about allowing anyone else into his little social circle. How greatly he differed from both of his parents.

"I have not, but I would recognize that face anywhere," Lafayette smiled, following George over to Angelica. "Angelica, how are you?"

"I'm good," Angelica couldn't help but smile. "How are you?"

"I am much better now." Lafayette pulled George to his side with a fond smile. He then peered down at Aaron, still looking at him from behind Angelica's legs. "How are you, _mon ami_? Do you know that you look more and more like your father each year? Today I could have sworn that you were the president of this country."

Aaron looked up at Angelica uncertainly. Angelica nodded. "Don't you want to say hello to Daddy's friend? This is George's daddy."

"Hullo." Aaron did not come out from behind Angelica. He eyed Lafayette suspiciously. "If you're George's daddy, why haven't I met you before?"

Lafayette laughed. "I see that you have more than your father's eyes, _mon ami_."

Aaron pouted. "He's laughing at me, Mommy."

"No, he's not," Angelica assured Aaron, rubbing the little boy's back encouragingly. "He's saying that you're like Daddy. Don't you want to be like Daddy?"

"I don't know, Mama. Daddy is so loud."

Lafayette laughed again. Aaron looked at him in surprise – he wasn't used to such open laughter. Very rarely was there so much laughter in the White House. Any opportunity for laughter was quashed by some political crisis. Aaron smiled shyly. It was the first time he felt as though he had made someone laugh without putting in a lot of effort.

"Ah, but you are too right, Aaron." Lafayette crouched down to get to Aaron's level. Aaron emerged from behind Angelica, keeping one hand on her leg, just in case. Lafayette looked up at Angelica, smiling. "I hope that you don't mind my stopping by, Angelica. I would have gone straight to the White House, but I wanted to see George before anyone else."

"Of course not, I'm so glad to see you. But…" Angelica bit her lip, uncertain of how to broach the topic. "Does Alex know that you're here? I mean, he'll be glad to see you, but…"

"But he didn't tell you?" Lafayette asked incredulously, rising to his feet with an amused smile. Aaron relinquished Angelica's leg, compelled by Lafayette's pleasant nature. "'amilton is responsible for this entire thing! He was the one who arranged for my passage from Austria – with his own money, of course. I must be careful when I visit the White House – I am not unaware of the controversy that my presence will cause – but I intend to stay elsewhere. Perhaps I will find my own estate this week."

"Can I live with you, Papa?" George asked hopefully.

"Can I come, too?" Aaron looked from George to Lafayette frantically. He had never been without George before.

"Aaron," Angelica rolled her eyes and shook her head. "If you go live with Uncle Laf and George, you won't live with Daddy and me anymore."

Aaron paused, weighing his options. "Could you come with me?"

"I don't think that Daddy would like that very much." Angelica reminded him.

"Could Aunt Betsey watch him? Like she watches me?" Aaron suggested hopefully.

Both Angelica and Lafayette laughed. Aaron looked between them proudly. He was the comedian of the hour, it seemed.

"Is Eliza staying at the White House with you?" Lafayette asked breezily, looking around the memorial for the first time since he had arrived.

"No, she only comes by when we need someone to keep an eye on the boys," Angelica answered, smiling down at Aaron, who was now sulking. He didn't like it when the conversation turned away from him. He was so like his father in that way. "She's living on-site at that animal shelter of hers in Maryland."

"I thought that was in Delaware?"

"One of them is, but it was so successful that she was contacted by animal control in Maryland, and she decided to start one nearby. She found some other people to run the one in Delaware. She still stops by on weekends to make sure they're running it okay. I didn't know that you knew about the shelter." Angelica raised an eyebrow.

Lafayette shrugged, folding his arms across his chest. "'amilton tells me about it from time to time. Erm, anyway, I suppose I should go see the President, should I not? I fear that I have disrupted this event enough as it is."

Angelica shook her head. "I think that I'll come with you. We've done all we were supposed to do here. Let me just grab Sadie and make sure that she doesn't need a ride back to the House. She's staying with us through the weekend."

"Sadie?"

"The recipient of the Burr scholarship," Angelica explained dispassionately. "She's staying with us for some much-needed good publicity. George is in love with her."

"I am not!" George protested, his face reddening.

That was a lie. He had been following the poor girl every minute that she spent in the White House, asking her questions about every single detail of her life. Sixteen-year-old George had never been one for dating, but the moment Sadie set foot in the White House, he was enamored.

"George!" Lafayette's face lit up with the parental delight of realizing a child's crush. "Which one is she? Now I must meet this girl."

"No, Papa," George's face was bright red. He shook his head, looking down at the ground. "I don't even like her, I just…"

"You're embarrassing him," Angelica told Lafayette with a fond smile. "Anyway, if you stay for dinner, you'll have the opportunity to meet her. She's a smart girl, albeit a little bit dull…"

"She's not dull!" George protested.

"And you don't like her." Angelica teased.

"I _don't_." George sulked.

"Perfect. Then you can tell her that we're going back to the House." Angelica grinned. "See if she wants to ride with us."

"I can't…" George turned to look at Sadie in horror. She was milling around, vaguely accepting congratulations from the attendants of the memorial. Her family flocked around her, snapping pictures of everything with no real purpose. "I can't just…"

"Why not?" Angelica prompted amusedly.

"Because I…" George realized that he was caught between a rock and a hard place. He scowled and shook his head. "I won't do it."

"Uh-huh." Angelica ruffled his hair before crossing the lawn towards Sadie, leaving Lafayette to tease George in her absence. She was mildly surprised when Aaron chose to remain behind with George and Lafayette. She reached Sadie, who looked at her nervously as she approached. Angelica had realized some time ago, with more than a little amusement, that Sadie was terrified of her. It was as though the poor girl expected Angelica to throw her in a dungeon at any moment. "Hey, Sadie. We're going to go back to the House now. You're welcome to stay, if you'd like. We can send a car for you whenever."

"Oh, okay." Sadie looked back at her family uncertainly. "Do you think that I could go out for lunch with my parents after this? Would that be okay?"

"Of course." Angelica waved off Sadie's concern. "If you call the Chief of Staff, he'll set up a tour of the White House for your family. Families always enjoy that kind of thing."

"Thank you." Sadie's face lit up.

Angelica nodded. "We'll see you when you get back tonight. Have a nice day, Sadie."

"Is she coming with us?" George asked as Angelica rejoined the little group surrounded by Secret Service.

Angelica looked at Lafayette and smirked. "And he says he doesn't like her."

* * *

"Hey, buddy. I'm glad that you made it safely." Alexander pulled Lafayette into a hug when Angelica brought him to the Oval Office to say hello. "I'm really sorry that we can't offer you a place to stay here, but I can't look like I'm using my office to get you to safety. That said, I'm sure Betsey would let you stay with her if you don't mind living with a bunch of dogs."

"Is she around?" Lafayette looked around the office, like Eliza might be hiding in the corners somewhere. "I would love to catch up with her."

"Oh, yeah, uh, I think that she should be down –"

"Gil!" Eliza's voice cut through whatever it was that Alexander was going to say. She ran through the door of the office and ran past Alexander and Angelica, launching herself directly at Lafayette. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into the side of his neck. Alexander and Angelica watched in surprise as Lafayette wrapped his own arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder. He pet her hair affectionately; a remarkably intimate gesture for two friends. Eliza pulled her face away from Lafayette after just a few seconds, while Alexander and Angelica were still too shocked to say anything. She grabbed at Lafayette's face with her hands desperately. "How are you here? I thought that you were stuck in Austria? I thought that…"

"Betsey," Alexander finally grounded himself enough to take a step forward, looking at them both with concern. "What's going on here?"

Lafayette sighed, looking away from Alexander. Eliza took a step away from Lafayette, suddenly looking very nervous.

"What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?" Alexander echoed, quirking an eyebrow. He did not indulge her by playing along with her clueless act. "Betsey."

"I would have told you sooner, 'amilton," Lafayette cut in, casting Eliza a look of warning. Eliza acquiesced, shifting to stand by Angelica's side. "I did not know that I could 'ope…I thought that it was over. When Eliza left France, we agreed that it was for the best that we not discuss it with either of you. It would keep things simple."

"What's he trying to say, babe?" Angelica turned to look at Eliza expectantly.

"You know the guy that I met in Europe?" Eliza reminded her meekly.

"Yes." Angelica looked at Lafayette with a startled expression.

"Meet the guy from Europe." Eliza gestured towards Lafayette lamely.

"No," Alexander growled, his face morphing into an unpleasant expression. "Absolutely not. I'm taking a big enough risk getting you into this country. If this happens…if the press found out that this _happened_ , I would be accused of nepotism, I'd be investigated by an entire fucking commission, and that is the _last_ thing that I need right now."

"Do not think that I am taking advantage of your hospitality," Lafayette's posture stiffened. He towered over Alexander, both staring each other down. "I did not anticipate that her affections would return. I believed our relationship to be over the moment that she left France. I do appreciate the effort that you have exerted to get me here, but I will not allow you to control such aspects of my life because of it."

"If you think for one moment that I'm going to let you ruin my country that way that you ruined yours…"

"Why don't we go?" Angelica suggested quietly, grabbing Eliza by the arm. "This is only going to get worse before it gets better."

"Yes, please." Eliza agreed, following Angelica out of the office gratefully.

"I'm not mad, like Alex is," Angelica began cautiously as she led Eliza to her bedroom. "I personally don't care who you do or don't date, but you have to know that this does create kind of a difficult political position for us. I mean, if the press finds out that you and Lafayette are together -"

"We're not together," Eliza reminded her quickly. "Not yet, anyway. We haven't had time to talk about it."

"All the more reason to consider what it would do to us if you _were_ together," Angelica advised. "Alex is already going to be in the hot seat for getting him out of Austria, but a couple of bank statements could probably avoid a commission. If it starts getting around that you and Lafayette are together, though, people might start looking a little closer. We have nothing to hide, of course, but you know how people are. They'll find something if they look hard enough. And politics aside, Lafayette is…well, Lafayette. He's a nice guy, but from what I've heard, he's been around quite a bit."

"He's not perfect," Eliza admitted firmly. "But neither is Alexander, and you love Alexander, don't you?"

"I guess I get your point." Angelica sighed with a small smile.

"And anyway, I don't know what else I could do," Sensing that she had won Angelica over, Eliza smiled. "I know that he's not perfect – boy, do I know that he's not perfect – but he's the only guy I've ever loved besides…"

Alexander was the unnamed man and they both knew it. Both had the dignity to gloss right over it.

"You wouldn't ask me to give that up, would you?" Eliza looked up at Angelica with those doe eyes of hers.

Angelica sighed again, looking around the bustling White House. "No, I guess I wouldn't."

* * *

"I don't like it." Alexander grumbled, looking up from the bill that he was supposed to be reading while in bed. Angelica looked up from her own bill, turning to look at him. "This Laf and Betsey business. I don't like it at all."

"That's because you're jealous," Angelica returned her attention back to the bill. "You want Eliza all to yourself."

"What?" Alexander set down the bill, anger written on his face. "I'm not jealous."

"Yes, you are," Angelica replied calmly. "If you had it your way, you would lock her up in a tower like your little damsel in distress."

"I don't know what you're accusing me of, but I have never -"

"I'm not accusing you of anything, Alex." Angelica sighed, setting down her own bill. "I'm just calling it as I see it."

"I'm not jealous." Alexander insisted.

"You're not a very good liar."

"Annie, I -"

"Anyway, it _doesn't matter_ ," Angelica said firmly. "Eliza wants Laf, and I don't see why she shouldn't have him. If they open a commission into your involvement with France, you'll come back clean. The things that they might find collaterally aren't enough to impeach you."

"You're serious?" Alexander looked at Angelica like she had betrayed him. "You really think that we should just let her jump right into something with him? Even if it weren't a political nightmare for us, Laf is…well, _Laf_. As far as I know, he's still married to Adrienne. He may never officially divorce her. Eliza might just be one of his fleeting affairs."

"I don't think so." Angelica's eyes narrowed. "I think that you're not giving her enough credit. She's not in high school anymore, Alex. She's a grown up. She is capable of being left in charge of her own romantic decisions. You might not like it, and that's fine. If I'm being honest, I don't love it either. That doesn't mean that we have any right to expect Eliza to stop seeing him. It's her life, her decision."

Alexander looked her over like he couldn't quite believe that she was serious. When he realized that she was, he let out a loud sigh and rolled over, turning off the lamp next to his pillow.

* * *

Alexander didn't like it, but Angelica was right – he was powerless to stop it. Eliza and Lafayette quickly became inseparable. Alexander's friendship with Lafayette came to light, prompting the expected questions of Alexander's diplomatic indiscretion, but such suspicions were laid to rest once Alexander released his personal banking statement which showed that he paid for Lafayette's travel expenses out of pocket.

The press' interest in Alexander's friendship with Lafayette meant that Lafayette no longer had to stay holed up in Eliza's house in Maryland. He was able to go out with Alexander and Angelica whenever they did anything fun. As Eliza had often joined them before Lafayette's presence in America, it was all too easy for her to join them without suspicions of a secret relationship arising. George and Aaron enjoyed their family's sudden closeness, too. Aaron adored Lafayette and started practicing jokes every single night in the hopes of making the man laugh. George followed Lafayette and Eliza like a shadow, allowing Eliza to dote on him under the amused surveillance of his father.

But scandals are inevitable when one lives under the spotlight the way that the president does.

It was Alexander's seventh year as president when the war ended in France.

"Where are you going?" Eliza followed Lafayette as he made his hurried goodbyes to George, Alexander, Angelica, and Aaron. "Gil, you're not going back there. It's still not safe!"

"I'm going to divorce Adrienne," Lafayette answered firmly, his expression steely. "I can't do it from outside of the country. I have to go back and file the papers. It should be over quickly."

"Quickly?" Eliza's lower lip protruded into a pout. She didn't bother looking around to see if anyone was listening. "Gil, divorce cases can take _years_. What if she argues with you over every little thing just to keep you there? I thought…I thought that you were here for good."

"I am, _mon cheri_ ," Lafayette assured her, dropping a kiss onto her forehead. "I will give her anything she wants, for I already have everything that I need here. My freedom is worth all of my possessions in France."

"Promise me that you'll be home by Christmas." Eliza stiffened her upper lip. Angelica couldn't help but admire her for that. She had never been the type to compromise. She was flighty where her sister was accommodating.

"I promise," Lafayette promised, his eyes glowing with fondness.

"Okay." Eliza wiped at her eyes with a small smile. "Then I suppose I had better drive you to the airport."

* * *

"You promised!" It took about two days for Lafayette's promise to fall through. Eliza's cry could be heard throughout the White House. Both Alexander and Angelica emerged, casting each other wary looks before creeping towards Eliza's guest room to eavesdrop. "How could you?"

Alexander placed a hand on his lips before gesturing towards their own bedroom, where they had a phone on the same line. They could listen to what Lafayette was saying. Neither of them would ever admit just how much they eavesdropped throughout Eliza's relationship with Lafayette. They both insisted that it was solely because they cared about Eliza and wanted to make sure that Lafayette was treating her nicely. They both knew that the other was lying. They were just nosy.

"You said that you would be home for Christmas!" Alexander put the phone on speaker phone while Angelica closed the door so that Eliza wouldn't hear. "You didn't just promise me, Gil, you promised _George_. What am I supposed to tell him when Christmas Eve comes around and you're not home?"

"What was I to do? She is asking for custody of George. _Full_ custody. She is telling the courts that I should not be allowed to see him unless she is supervising me. She is asking for the one thing that I cannot give up. I cannot tear him from his life in America to bring him back to France. It isn't safe here!" Lafayette argued.

Angelica's eyes widened. Alexander looked at her grimly. They both disliked the idea of George being sent back to France when it was still war-torn. The boy had such a bright future ahead of him. It would be devastating to watch his mother rip such a future away from him.

"Why would she do that?" Eliza pouted. "She knows that the schools are better here. She knows that he's safer over here. His connections are good here, too. Alexander could get him into any school he wanted to go; any social group that he wanted to join. How could she say that he belongs there?"

"She knows that America is what is best for him," Lafayette answered impatiently. "She is just doing this to punish me. She is aware of you and does not want me to return to you in time for Christmas. She believes that if she keeps me here in a custody lawsuit for two years or so, you will leave me."

Eliza let out a loud huff on the other line. "Isn't there anything that you can do?"

"I am doing everything that I can, _cheri_." Lafayette's tone softened. "I have all the best lawyers, I have all the right arguments; we still have to wait for the case to reach court. It could take weeks, maybe months. I am doing the best that I can to avoid frivolities."

"And what about women?" Eliza broached the subject carefully, so unlike the way that Angelica would. "Are you avoid them, too?"

"Yes." Lafayette hesitated just long enough to breed uncertainty. "You can trust me, Eliza."

"I want to, Gil." Eliza said softly, her voice wavering.

Angelica crossed the room and hung up their line. She didn't want to hear any more of their conversation. Even for eavesdropping, this felt too intimate. Eliza sounded too vulnerable. Judging from Alexander's passive glance in her direction, he agreed.

"Do you think that he's going to be home anytime soon?" Angelica finally asked, breaking the silence that had come over the room.

"I don't know," Alexander ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "Custody cases can take ages, especially when one party wants to drag it out."

"Will we have to give her George? I mean…will they want him in France while they try to decide the case?" Angelica asked tentatively. Selfish as it was, she didn't want to give George up. He was a pleasant presence in the White House, and more than that, Aaron loved him. Angelica didn't know how Aaron would handle George's departure.

"No way," Alexander said sternly. "We're not letting him leave this country until we have a court order commanding it."

"Turn on your TV." It was a good thing that Angelica and Alexander hung up the phone, because Eliza burst right through their bedroom door without knocking. She did that often. It was a miracle that she hadn't walked in on anything more traumatic than Angelica and Alexander sitting on the floor mulling over George's future. "Gil said that he made a mistake that you're going to be mad at."

"God damn it." Alexander groaned, grabbing the remote off the side table and turning on the TV. It was already on CNN, the only news station that was consistently nice to him. Sure enough, Lafayette was front and center of their latest "breaking news" report.

"There is nothing to the accusations that I was a neglectful parent," Lafayette was angrily telling a French news source outside of a court house. Presumably, they were reporting on the custody battle he was engrossed in. "I could not care for George, but I did all that was in my power. I did more for him than Adrienne ever did by getting him into America to live with President 'amilton."

"Oh, dear fucking god," Alexander flopped onto the floor with a dramatic shout. "Does it ever _end_?"

"Well, what's so bad about that?" Eliza inquired, folding her arms across her chest. "He's right, isn't he?"

"We _just_ got through the nightmare of my involvement with getting Lafayette into the damn country," Alexander answered pointedly, his eyes narrowing. "Now he's told the entire world that I've been housing his son for free in the fucking _White House_."

* * *

Eliza was alight with excitement – it was obvious to see. She was holding Lafayette's hand in front of all of the news outlets in the country, along with more than a few spectators. George was standing beside her, eying the cameras apprehensively. Lafayette was stoic – a man who had just returned from a long custody battle for his son.

"It is with great pleasure that we announce our engagement," Eliza's voice trembled with delight. "After the difficult ordeal with the international nature of our relationship. We are happy to say that my brother-in-law, President Hamilton, has given us his blessing and will be attending the wedding."

"I didn't give them my blessing," Alexander pointed out, gesturing towards the TV screen in his office. He and Angelica were watching as Eliza hosted her own press conference. It seemed to be going well.

"Yes, you did." Angelica reminded him firmly.

"I still think it's a bad idea," Alexander continued sulkily.

"It's about time that they came out with their relationship." Angelica rolled her eyes, looking up at the ceiling impatiently. "It got you out of the hot seat about housing George, at the very least. I agree that it would have been a problem before you cleared your personal involvement with Laf's evacuation, but now that everyone agrees that you haven't been using White House resources for anything inappropriate, why shouldn't they enjoy a public relationship?"

"If he cheats on her, she's going to be subject to public ridicule."

"Are you kidding me?" Angelica shook her head dismissively. "Look at those reporters. They already love her. She's like a Disney princess. If he cheats on her, he'll be the public villain. He'll have to go back to France to escape bad press."

"Yeah, well…" Alexander grumbled, looking off in the direction of the opposite side of the room. "He'll have to escape me first. If he hurts her, I think I'll kill him."

"I know you will." Angelica smiled at him piteously, patting his knee.

 **A/N: Last chapter coming to you on July 12th!**


	35. Chapter 35

"And now, we rejoin Angelica Schuyler at the gun safety demonstration with former Secretary Treasury Hamilton and Vice President Burr," The introduction was given. Angelica straightened her posture and put on her best smile. It wasn't hard to smile. After the demonstration, she would be spending a month in Albany with Alexander and Eliza. It was Alexander's reward for putting up with Aaron Burr for the day. The whole family would be together for a month, laughing and running around the old Schuyler mansion. Alexander had already promised to take Angelica star-gazing one of those summer nights.

"We're here in D.C. at the Collins Centre, where Vice President Burr and former Treasury Secretary Hamilton will be giving a gun safety demonstration on behalf of Mr. Hamilton's gun-control organization." Alexander and Aaron were talking on stage behind her, but Angelica had been instructed to stop talking only when the demonstration itself began. "As you'll recall from previous updates, former Secretary Hamilton's eldest son was a victim of gun violence a few years ago."

Angelica did not allow herself to linger on thoughts of poor Philip.

"Now it looks like Vice President Burr is showing the proper way to handle a gun in an emergency." Angelica turned to face the stage.

She could see Eliza and the kids being shown on the jumbo-tron overhead. Despite the Reynolds affair, Eliza still played the part of the dutiful wife in situations like these. She still loved him, that was clear, but she hated the criticism that she was subjected to regarding her husband's conduct. It wasn't fair. It wasn't like she had done any of the bizarre and inappropriate things that Alexander had done over the years.

Still, she smiled up at Alexander proudly for the camera. Philip Jr. sat on her lap. Junior kept his eyes fixed on the stage. Even Baby, who had recently been discharged, was sitting nicely in her seat, watching Alexander with hawk eyes. All of the Hamilton children were well-trained in the art of social events like these.

Aaron raised a pistol and pointed it at Alexander. Alexander - apparently pretending to be an assailant - raised his own gun and pointed it back at Aaron. Just as Aaron was vocalizing each step, there was a loud bang, followed by a clatter and another bang. Alexander was on the ground. Aaron was shouting. The crowd was screaming and stampeding for the exit. Angelica was bumped and prodded as she stared ahead, struggling to comprehend the situation.

"He's been shot!" The camera man hollered over the din. "Ang, get in there!"

"Oh, my god." Angelica was gripped by the chilling hand of terror. She surged against the crowd, desperate to get to Alexander. As she clambered up on stage, she saw Eliza. She was cradling Alexander's head. Her clothes were soaked with blood. Alexander's eyes were open, but they were dim. He was saying something with great difficulty. Aaron was on his knees beside Alexander, blubbering out some kind of apology. Angelica dropped to her knees next to Alexander.

"Burr." She tried to gain some kind of control over the chaos.

"I didn't mean to," Aaron sobbed. "I didn't know! They told me - _promised_ me - that they were unloaded!"

"Shut up!" Angelica snapped. Alexander took her hand in his. Angelica didn't look away from Aaron just yet. "The kids, Burr. Get the kids out of here. They can't see this."

Aaron turned to look at the children standing in the middle of the madness. Baby was holding Philip Jr., watching the situation with a horrified stare. Junior was throwing up. Aaron's jaw hung slack.

"Now!" Angelica yelled. Aaron leapt to his feet and ran over to the children. He scooped up Philip Jr. and ushered Baby and Junior away.

Angelica finally turned to look at Alexander. His face was pale, his eyes were dim and his muscles were taut. He was obviously in a lot of pain.

"Alex," She didn't know what to say to him.

Alexander smiled with some difficulty. "Annie."

"He's going to be okay," Eliza said firmly. No one knew whether or not she was right, but no one argued with her, either. "The medics are on their way."

She stroked his hair feverishly.

"Of course he'll be okay," Angelica assured Eliza. Scared as she was for Alexander, she knew that Eliza was more scared, still. "We're here with him. We won't let anything happen to him."

Eliza nodded, blinking furiously to hold back the tears.

Alexander's eyes fluttered closed. He smiled. It wasn't the same pain-filled smile he'd afforded Angelica just moments before. It was peaceful.

"My Schuyler sisters."

Eliza recognized the signs of surrender first. She buried her face in Alexander's hair and cried. The sound of her sobs damn near broke Angelica's heart, but Angelica wasn't ready to accept the inevitable yet. She was still in denial.

"Please don't do this to me, Alex." She pleaded, clutching Alexander's hand tighter. "Please. I don't know what to be without you."

"Like you were," Alexander's eyes were still closed. He was smiling. He looked fifteen years younger. His voice was barely audible. "When we were golden."

"No, Alex." Angelica protested, lunging at him. She grabbed his face in her hands, trying to get him to open his eyes again.

He wouldn't.

The medics showed up too late. They had barely looked Alexander over for a minute when they told Angelica and Eliza that he was gone. Eliza screamed. Angelica had to restrain her as they took Alexander out of the building. Eliza demanded that they tell her where they were taking him. She didn't want to leave him.

No one bothered asking if Angelica was okay.

* * *

They were all dressed in black. It was awful. Alexander would have hated it. As yet another figure cloaked in black blocked the doorway, Angelica tore her eyes way from Alexander's pallid face. When she did, she locked eyes with Aaron Burr.

Her blood began to boil. A murderous rage grabbed hold of her before she could stop herself.

" _You_." She snarled, sounding more like a wounded animal than a human being. "Get out. You aren't welcome here."

Angelica's tone drew Eliza's attention to the situation. Eliza walked across the room to stand by Angelica's side.

"I'm sorry." Aaron's eyes were red. There were bags under his eyes. His suit was disheveled. "I won't stay. I know I can't stay. Can I just…can I see him? Please?"

"No, you can't see him." Angelica snapped. "Didn't you get a good enough look when he was dying?"

Aaron's mouth hung open stupidly. Angelica was just seconds from hitting him when Eliza put a hand on her shoulder.

"Of course you can see him," Eliza said.

"No." Angelica insisted, sounding more than a little childish.

"Angelica." Eliza's quiet voice was firm. "We're neglecting our guests. And I'm sure that the children are looking for us."

Not only was Eliza going to let Aaron see Alexander - she was going to leave him alone with him.

"No!" Angelica didn't care if she was making a scene. Alexander was dead and Eliza got to make all of the decisions. She got to dress him in a black suit when Angelica knew he would have preferred a blue one. Eliza chose finger food that Angelica knew Alexander would consider pretentious. Eliza allowed Aaron Burr to attend Alexander's funeral when Angelica knew that he wouldn't have wanted it. Angelica deserved to make a scene. "He killed Alex! I don't trust him. What are you going to do when we leave you with him? Steal any valuables that he had left after you ruined him? Why don't you just leave this family alone?"

"Angelica." Eliza spoke through clenched teeth. Her grip on Angelica's arm tightened, almost painfully. "That's enough. Come help me with the children. Aaron, take your time."

Eliza somehow managed to show sympathy for the man who had killed her husband. Angelica was forced from the room. She protested the whole way.

Once in the main staging area, Angelica was surprised to see a thick mob of secret service men that could only mean one thing.

"Thomas?" She approached the secret service cluster. They recognized her and parted like the red sea. Standing at the nucleus of the gaggle was Thomas. His face was long with grief, despite the small smile that he tried to muster for Angelica.

"Hi." He gestured for the secret service to give them room. They reluctantly obeyed. "I thought it was proper to pay my respects. We didn't always get along as well as we should have, but…I never would have…"

"I know." Angelica cut him off. She wasn't strong enough to hear the rest of what he had to say, yet.

Thomas smiled sympathetically. "How is Eliza?"

Angelica looked over at Eliza, who was holding Philip Jr. and consoling Junior. The poor boy was using his fists to wipe tears out of his lavender eyes, not wanting anyone to see him cry.

"She's strong," Angelica answered.

"And how are you?"

"Not as strong as she is."

Thomas nodded, not taking his eyes off of Eliza and Philip Jr. "How many children are there?"

"Three."

"Three?" Thomas echoed in surprise.

"Well, there were four, but the oldest, Philip…"

"Right." Thomas had not forgotten Philip's death. "Are they well taken care of?"

Angelica shook her head. "They're going to have a difficult time getting by. Church and I are going to help however we can, but…"

"Three children," Thomas mumbled to himself. "Are they all as talkative as him?"

"Some more than others," Angelica couldn't help but look at Junior in particular. "But they're just as smart, too."

"Just what this world needs," Thomas mused. "Are any of them college-aged?"

"Not yet. Baby is getting close, though. And she's brilliant. Eliza said she's looking at Columbia."

"Her father's school," Thomas noted. "Has she thought about Harvard?"

"I'm not sure. She's really been struggling with all of this. She hasn't even registered for the SATs yet."

Thomas nodded. "Well, if she changes her mind about Columbia, let me know. I know the Board of Admissions at Harvard. I'm sure they could find a spot for her. Scholarships, too."

Angelica touched Thomas' arm. "Thank you, Tom."

Thomas nodded, embarrassed.

It was then that it struck Angelica that Alexander would never again be there for those big moments. He would never know which college Baby went to. He wouldn't walk her down the aisle. He wouldn't get to see any more of Junior's football games. He wouldn't teach Philip Jr. to read and write like his life depended on it.

Tears burned at Angelica's eyes.

"Excuse me." She glanced at Thomas one last time before rushing off to the back room. That cowardly Aaron was probably long gone by now, and she needed to cry. She did not want to cry in front of all of these people. She just wanted her Alexander.

As she rounded the corner and entered the doorway, Angelica was surprised to see Aaron kneeling in front of Alexander's casket, his shoulders shaking. A loud sob filled the otherwise silent room. It dawned on Angelica that Aaron was crying.

Without a word, she crossed the room to Aaron. He looked at her, opening his mouth to apologize or maybe even justify himself, but Angelica didn't give him the chance. She just sank to her knees and wrapped her arms around Aaron, burying her face in his shoulder. Aaron's posture relaxed at the contact. He rested his chin on the crook of Angelica's neck. He allowed his sobs to wrack his body as Angelica's tears bled through his shirt.

They sat there for a while, Aaron and Angelica. They cried for themselves, not for Alexander. Alexander was in a better place; a place where he could finally write down everything in that beautiful mind of his without any interruptions. It was for themselves that Aaron and Angelica wept. Because while Alexander enjoyed a world in which he could pursue those fantastic ideas of his, Aaron and Angelica and everyone else were left in a world that Alexander Hamilton was no longer a part of.

When he left, he left behind a palpable amount of emptiness.

Their Alexander.

 **Rewind**

Eliza and Lafayette's wedding took place the day after Alexander's presidency ended. They had agreed to the delay to avoid giving Alexander more political trouble than they already had. In return, Alexander had pulled strings to get them the best venues at the best prices. He'd even offered his services as a bartender.

Angelica was Eliza's matron of honor. Angelica tried to remind Eliza of women who would be more reliable, more empathetic, more…romantic, but Eliza was firm in her opinion that there was no one better than Angelica. Hercules Mulligan was Lafayette's best man, but Alexander was a groomsman, along with George. Aaron was the ring-bearer. He stood by Alexander's side once his task had been completed.

When Eliza walked down the aisle, both Lafayette and Alexander softened like butter on a stovetop. Adoration was etched on both of their features. Angelica didn't mind. In fact, Alexander's distraction gave her a better opportunity to watch him; to notice how different he looked now.

The stress of his presidency had peppered his hair with gray – most of which was around his temples – and had caused a permanent crease on his forehead, but his eyes were just the same. Lavender with a cobalt flame burning right in the middle. His shoulders sloped where they once were rigid and his stomach was softer than it had been when he was eighteen, but when he looked down to answer one of Aaron's numerous questions, he smiled the same exact smile that Angelica had fallen in love with decades ago.

Quick-witted as he was, it took Alexander a few minutes to realize that Angelica was staring at him. When he did, he looked up at her, his smile cooling into something less intense, but no less loving. It was a look of comfort, so much gentler than the look of pure hunger that he sported when he was in his twenties. Angelica realized with some surprise that she preferred gentler smiles at this point in her life. The time for hunger was over. They'd both gotten what they wanted out of life; now it was time to enjoy it with complacency.

The wedding ceremony passed by quickly; Eliza and Lafayette both said their vows. Aaron asked tons of questions. George beamed with pride over his new stepmother. Alexander watched with reluctance when the officiant told Lafayette that he could now kiss the bride. When it was over, Eliza and Lafayette disappeared – presumably to take pictures, though with Lafayette, one never did know – while Angelica and Alexander ambled towards the cocktail hour being held in the reception area.

"Mister President," One of Eliza's European friends, a publisher, approached them with an overtly Italian manner. "I am Corie Valois."

"Please, call me Alex," Alexander extended a hand towards Corie. "My presidential days are behind me."

"As you wish," Corie beamed with delight. "I don't know if Eliza told you, but I have been working on collecting autobiographies from those surrounding the French war. It is something of a passion project. I have been pressuring Gil to write one, but the man has the work ethic of a sloth. When I saw you here, however, I thought that maybe you would produce something more interesting than just a perspective on the war. Granted, you also have the _greatest_ perspective on the war, but you have had an interesting career, have you not? I would place money on you having an interesting life before your career, as well."

"You'd be betting correctly," Angelica remarked with an amused smile.

"What do you say?" Corie looked to Angelica gratefully before returning to Alexander. "Would you be interested in writing an autobiography for us? I assure you, you would have control over every creative detail."

"I don't know," Alexander shrugged, scratching at his hair as he watched Aaron playing with the other children at the reception absent-mindedly. "I think it's a little bit pretentious to write my own biography, especially when I'm still so young. Shouldn't you wait for my death before scrambling to find out about my life?"

"Why should we? You have already accomplished so much in your lifetime." Corie pleaded. "Besides the obvious value of your legacy, there have been circumstances in your private life that would certainly create interest among readers."

"If you're talking about Annie's miscarriage, I'm not going to –"

"Of course not, of course not." Corie hastened to placate him. "I only mean your life in the broadest of terms. You were married so young. A former president raised you. You attended school with some of the most prominent people in politics today. Surely it was an interesting enough life as it was without mentioning anything…unpleasant."

Alexander sighed, folding his arms across his chest. He turned to look at Angelica in askance. "I don't know…Annie, what do you think?"

"You already know what I think."

"I do?"

"Sure." Angelica grinned broadly. "Who better to tell your story?"

"You know," Alexander smiled back at her, shifting on his feet. "I think I have some ideas about that."

* * *

 _And so was the life and times of Alexander Hamilton, at least, during this author's life. Certainly, there will be cause to write another such book once the next 44 years have passed. Ideally, it will be a shorter book, as more attention is always dedicated to the frivolity of one's youth instead of the accomplishments of their adulthood. The author cannot be faulted for such priorities. Humanity has always been defined by its dedication to the preservation of youth and its beauty._

 _That said, it is this author's express hope that the truthfulness conveyed within these pages is enough to allow the reader a notion of the unique paradox that players on the world's center stage are placed in. We are mortal, just as you are, but we play a game of gods and titans. When we fall from grace, therefore, the fall is longer and more painful than any human could endure. Many have not survived such falls: Aaron Burr, Patcy Skelton, and John Adams are just a few._

 _Alexander Hamilton has created his legacy; made his mark on the Olympia that we call "politics." He fought the gods and titans and beat them at their own game. Now it is my turn to do so. With the close of Alexander's political career, mine opens._

 _I'll see you on the field, titans._

 _-Angelica Hamilton_

 _ **A/N: It's overrrrr! I hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. It isn't perfect, but it's mine and I'm proud of it. Now, we have three options in terms of what comes next: A Hamgelica road trip AU, an AU in which Eliza was too sick to go to the ball when Angelica met Alexander, and an AU in which Aaron knows he and Alexander are fated to be each others' demise. I enjoy writing the third more, but I recognize that I owe you all some Hamgelica TLC after all of this.**_

 ** _Here's how we'll decide in a fair manor: reviews. I'll publish the first chapter of each story. Whichever gets the most reviews is the one I'll focus on. If there's a tie, I'll do both._**


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